Chapter 98

“You’re underestimating me way too much, aren’t you?”

Lynn held his slightly dazed head, squinting against the sunlight stabbing through the train window.

Feeling the slight bumps from the seat beneath him, he seemed to realize something.

He lifted his head and glanced around, discovering he was in a luxurious train compartment.

At this moment, the compartment was completely empty.

Lynn paused for a few seconds, then, attempting to take deep breaths, stood up from his seat and staggered toward the door.

As he pushed the door open, someone from the adjacent carriage seemed to notice him and hurried over.

“Young Master Lynn, you’re awake!”

It was the voice of the housekeeper, Kesha.

“Am I on the train returning to the Imperial Capital?”

Lynn rubbed his temples, looking at her perplexed.

With Kesha’s help, he walked into the second carriage.

Upon entering, he spotted several familiar faces sitting in the carriage.

Some were servants who had worked at Augusta Manor, and others were Ivyst’s subordinates he had seen during meals.

He usually didn’t interact much with these people, so after a brief glance, he read respect and seriousness in their eyes.

“Young Master Lynn, we’ll be relying on you for Her Highness’s matters from now on.”

Someone in the crowd suddenly raised their voice.

At that moment, all the varied gazes focused on him—some were approving, while others were confused or doubtful.

Rely on me?

Lynn still didn’t grasp the situation.

But at this moment, countless fragmented memories surged in his mind, immediately reminding him of everything that had happened last night.

What the heck is wrong with this woman?

Staring at the train to freedom before him, Lynn surprisingly didn’t feel the excitement he had imagined.

Looking at Kesha beside him, he frowned and asked, “Ms. Kesha, what’s going on right now?”

Upon hearing this, the elderly housekeeper closed her eyes and gestured for him to sit in a nearby seat.

After they sat down, Lynn didn’t immediately get the explanation he was waiting for.

Instead, she suddenly handed him a thick stack of papers.

“This is Her Highness’s deposit slip from the Glosting Central Bank, her private savings built over the years for your use when you return to the Imperial Capital.”

Saying this, Kesha handed him a thin booklet.

Written on it was the flamboyant and artistic signature of that woman: Ivyst Roland Alexini.

Lynn instinctively took the booklet.

But for some reason, a vision of her grace and gentleness beneath the moonlight from last night suddenly flashed into his mind.

“This…”

Lynn was about to ask something when Kesha cut him off.

“These are the property deeds of Her Highness in the Imperial Capital. If, after you return, you find yourself influenced by the Mosgra Family and without a place to stay, you can temporarily reside in her mansion, preventing them from openly troubling you.”

“This document contains contacts that might be useful when necessary. While there aren’t many, it’s the result of Her Highness’s years of effort…”

“And these…”

“Hold on, hold on!”

Lynn finally couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted her.

Staring at the documents in his hands, he felt overwhelmed with absurd emotions.

“What the hell does all this mean?” Lynn frowned deeply, “Why does it feel like a deathbed entrustment?”

“And why is she giving this to me when she has so many subordinates?”

At that moment, he felt quite lost.

A sudden heavy responsibility weighed down on him, leaving him bewildered.

Kesha glanced at him before blankly stating, “Young Master Lynn should already understand the specifics of Her Highness’s temporary mission, right?”

“Yes.”

He nodded.

Last night, Ivyst had told him it was for the temporary task assigned by the Sixth Saint Roland, dealing with an unknown sealed item.

However, she hadn’t told him the specific details about that sealed item.

Kesha then suddenly handed over a piece of paper: “This is the specific information regarding the sealed item that Her Highness needs to handle this time.”

Lynn took the paper and scanned it quickly.

But upon seeing the name of the sealed item, he suddenly changed color.

[Item Name: Wishing Jar]

[Item Number: Uncontained]

[Rank Level: Unknown]

[Specific Origin: A mysterious sealed item passed down through the Cult of Creation, unknown to the outside world.]

[Effect Description: Can fulfill any three wishes of the wish-maker, but will realize them in the worst possible way.]

[Containment Suggestion: It is advised that containment personnel understand its specific characteristics before taking action.]

Is this the final target of that woman’s mission?

For some reason, Lynn’s hand trembled slightly.

However, Kesha seemed oblivious to his unease and continued on, “As you can see, while the rank level is unknown, the intelligence from His Majesty suggests it’s likely between Level 2 and Level 1, and will not exceed Level 1.”

“Under these circumstances, Her Highness estimated her anticipated sleeping time to be around four months to half a year.”

“Right now is a crucial moment for the royal selection, and the autumn hunting event in the Imperial Capital is approaching. She didn’t want to waste this opportunity.”

“So, Her Highness decided to send some of the less combat-capable subordinates ahead to the Imperial Capital to pave the way.”

“And you are the most trusted choice of Her Highness, which is why she entrusted those personnel to you.”

“What did you say?”

Lynn suddenly raised his head, looking at Kesha in disbelief.

“You are Her Highness’s most trusted person.” Kesha said blankly as if stating a fact, “You don’t need to doubt this.”

“Because that’s what Her Highness told me last night.”

…

Lynn clenched the sealed item report tightly, slamming his fist on the table.

Trust me?

Are you kidding me?

I’ve been dreaming of escaping from that crazy woman, and now you give me this?!

And do you even know what that sealed item represents?

Recalling plot points from the original story, Lynn finally connected all the critical dots.

Why did the villainous princess disappear for nearly two hundred chapters after leaving the Imperial Capital, only to appear at the climax of the royal selection when the Second Prince and others were defeated?

According to the time span, nearly a year had passed!

He finally understood why the Witch Miss had said so many vague things before leaving the Temple of the Gods.

Not only did she ask about the exact date of that time point, but she also insisted he seize the one chance she’d shown a moment of softness in this life to return early to the Imperial Capital.

In the end, she even had him send a message to Afia and the others.

He felt something was off at the time, but without crucial information, he couldn’t guess the truth.

After all, Lynn’s faith in the ultimate villainess was even stronger than hers.

So he never thought of any bad scenarios.

But upon seeing this sealed item’s name, Lynn instantly understood everything.

That damn Sixth Saint Roland provided false intelligence.

Because this Wishing Jar is not some Level 2 or Level 1 sealed item; it’s a legit Level 0!

Absolutely genuine Level 0!!!

Not only that, but a terrifying demon also resides within the jar, and though not in its complete form, it’s still exceedingly troublesome!

In the original story, the protagonists had been pushed to the brink, and only through divine intervention could they solve this crisis; otherwise, half of the Saint Roland Empire might have fallen.

This segment of the plot made it clear that Ivyst’s mission was destined to fail.

Moreover, it would drag down all her subordinates to a watery grave, and she herself would fall into prolonged slumber.

Upon waking, she’d undergo drastic personality changes and a certain degree of deformation, leading to her tumultuous aftermath in the Imperial Capital, and eventually being defeated by the protagonists and imprisoned in the far northern Dead Water Prison.

If everything unfolded as it did in the original plot, it should be like this.

Isn’t this an absolute tragedy?

Lynn’s expression shifted uncontrollably as he pondered all this.

Seeing him fall silent, Kesha didn’t say anything further but took out two more items.

“These are from Afia; she asked me to give them to you.” Kesha placed the items before him. “She rejected you, but still accepted your gift. About this, Her Highness has already given her a talking-to.”

Staring at the dainty princess shoes on the table, as pristine as new, Lynn was momentarily stunned. Then, a letter was also placed in front of him.

“This is from Master Greya; he asked me to deliver it to you.”

Lynn instinctively took the letter and read it carefully.

It only contained one sentence.

“Her Highness said everyone who shows up for this mission will receive His Majesty’s commendation, a free military merit! Haha, and you, don’t forget your buddy when you get to the Imperial Capital; wait for me, Grand Master Greya, to triumphantly return!”

I’ve never seen such a classic death flag in my life.

And you’re not even a Transcendent; what good will you do by tagging along?

Lynn instinctively wanted to scoff, but he found he simply lacked the energy.

Greya was one of his few friends since coming to this world, and now he seemed inexplicably caught up in all this.

After all, aside from him, no one else had a future perspective and had no clue what would happen afterward.

Seeing Lynn’s dazed expression, Kesha finally spoke up: “Young Master Lynn, you seem a bit unwell?”

!!

“Oh, I’m fine.” Lynn instinctively shook his head, glancing at the princess shoes, “It’s just a bit exciting to receive shoes worn by a beautiful girl for the first time.”

.”

Kesha remained silent.

“By the way, is there a washroom here?”

Lynn suddenly stood up unsteadily and asked casually.

Not knowing if it was the residual effects of the drug or something else, he felt the urge to escape.

After Kesha pointed him in the right direction, Lynn hurriedly dashed into the restroom.

He turned on the faucet, splashed water on his face, trying to wake himself up.

Looking at the black-haired youth with a wet face in the mirror, Lynn took a deep breath.

“I’m really happy.” He spoke suddenly, “Really happy to have escaped from that woman.”

Lies.

This was a lie!

Since he wasn’t lying but merely expressing a thought, the Liars’ Devourer instantly activated its ability to detect lies.

A lie?

How could that be?

Lynn stared at the boy in the mirror, noticing his complexion looked a bit off.

He was now uncertain about his relationship with that woman or what he truly felt inside.

His mind was a jumble.

So, he could only find the real answer through this self-verification.

“I…”

Lynn wanted to ask something, but the words on his tongue became muddled under the remnants of the drug.

What was I going to ask?

He tried to relax, but couldn’t grasp that spark of inspiration.

Smack!

Lynn suddenly slapped himself hard.

Got it.

What echoed in the depths of his heart was a question.

A trivial talk he once had with Milani about the most profound emotions in the world.

At that time, he had asked Milani what was the most profound emotion in the world.

Milani had smiled and replied: “regret”.

That’s right.

The most profound emotion in the world isn’t anger or despair; it’s regret.

Time cannot flow backward, and no matter the decisions you make, you will go forward down the path you chose, with no chance of turning back.

And those emotions, which become increasingly vivid over the long passage of time, are regret.

Regret for making the wrong decision at that moment.

“If I just walk away today… I will definitely regret it later.”

This is the truth.

The Liars’ Devourer responded.

Why?

Lynn felt confused.

His heart was full of messy emotions, making it hard to sort through them clearly.

But right now was not the time for deep thought.

So, he decided to stop overthinking.

To fully entrust his trust to the Liars’ Devourer in front of him.

Meanwhile, Lynn caught another wave of intense emotions swelling in his chest.

“I’m really angry right now.”

This is the truth.

Lynn’s mind instinctively recalled the moment in the Temple of the Gods when the Witch Miss insisted he must leave Orlen City.

And the silent tears that slipped from Ivyst’s eyes last night.

He seemed to understand something.

Everyone was placing him from the perspective of the weakest in this event.

Leaving aside Her Highness.

But what about the Witch Miss?

She had completely given up resistance, thinking he couldn’t do anything, couldn’t change anything, so she tacitly decided to spare his life and let him escape to the Imperial Capital, preserving his strength.

As for what kind of painful end she would face after that, it seemed not important at all.

Prioritizing the greater good?

Gathering strength to seek a further future?

That might be the correct and rational choice.

But it wasn’t a choice that sought his personal will.

Everyone overlooked one thing.

“Witch Miss, and Her Highness, you… are severely underestimating me, aren’t you?”

Lynn took a deep breath.

At that moment, he felt he had returned to the calm version of himself.

Moreover, for such a massive event that could drastically change historical pivotal points, how could someone like him, with such a personality, let it slip by?

“Lynn Bartleon, you will turn this all around.”

Staring at the black-haired youth in the mirror, Lynn spoke word for word.

Was this a lie?

In his subconscious, a voice seemed to ask.

“No, this is a promise.”

“Because I already promised the Witch Miss to please her.”

“No matter if it’s her now or her future self, it’s the same.”

“Kesha, something big has happened!!!”

A subordinate suddenly rushed over in a panic.

“What happened?”

The housekeeper, calmly sipping her tea, responded nonchalantly.

“Lynn… Lynn has jumped out of the window from the washroom!!!”

This news struck like a bolt from the blue, causing everyone present to momentarily lose their composure.

Only Kesha remained composed, sitting in her place.

“I understand. Also, inform the conductor; we can let the train go full speed now.”