Teresia's heartbeat quickened against her will.
Her official identity was, after all, still that of an assassin from the Tower of Chronomancy. If Quinn were to discover her, then given how hypersensitive and disgusted the Empress now was toward the Tower, both Linen and she herself would surely be doomed.
At that moment, Linen's voice rang out.
"A woman's scent in my room—does that really count as something so surprising?"
Expression unchanging, he asked faintly in return.
"Hehe, no, no, no, my dear little brother. On the contrary—"
Quinn's slender jade finger stroked her chin, her face showing that look of you know what I mean:
"If you truly didn't lay hands on those pure white little schoolgirls, that would be what surprised me. Why don't you confide in me, hm? Tell your onee-san just how far things have gone. My mouth is sealed, you know…"
"There's nothing that can't be said. It was just studying biology together. Same as when I used to sit with Novy and the others."
Quinn froze.
She had caught a faint feminine fragrance, but she had only meant to tease him on a whim. She hadn't expected Linen to actually answer. Still, very quickly—she grew excited!
Just one month into term, and already this far, my little brother? You're quite the player, aren't you!
But Linen wasn't done speaking:
"In addition, there's also potionology, [Weave Meditation], spellcraft, and arithmetic…"
A question mark practically popped over Quinn's head.
It seemed her little brother's idea of "studying" wasn't quite the same as hers.
"Wait, wait, wait—my dear little brother. In all that 'studying,' there wasn't anything a little more thrilling?"
"By thrilling, you mean those forbidden, forceful… boy-and-girl kind of things?"
Linen put on a thoughtful face.
"Yes, yes, exactly! You understand me. More, give me more!"
Quinn's breathing quickened.
"Just now, one of the girls…"
"And?"
"…Took away all my homework to copy. Isn't that taboo enough?"
Quinn blinked, then glanced toward her brother sitting calm behind the desk. Realization dawned—then she burst out laughing, shoulders shaking, laughter spilling like blossoms in the wind.
A girl copying Linen's homework was nothing. But if a girl copied Linen himself—that would be amusement indeed.
She wasn't laughing at Linen, but at herself.
Too eager to wring entertainment out of her little brother, she had let him flip the tables on her. For someone like Quinn, who usually toyed with others, this was a rare reversal. All the more delicious!
Just as Teresia, beneath the desk, thought this brother and sister utterly nonsensical, Linen's next words made her wish she could sink her teeth hard into his leg.
"What's so funny, my beloved sister? The kind of 'studying' you want to hear about isn't impossible. Who knows, perhaps right now, hidden beneath my desk, where you can't see, lies a bewitching young maiden."
Linen smiled lightly.
Quinn hopped down from the windowsill, taking a seat opposite him. With a languid wave of her hand:
"Alright, alright, little brother, stop teasing me. I admit it's my fault for prying too much into your private affairs. Besides, I really did come tonight on proper business."
At those words, both Linen—atop the desk—and Teresia—beneath it—finally exhaled in relief.
But where Teresia still kept her guard, Linen truly relaxed.
He knew his sister far too well. This elder sister of his was the type who, the more others tried to hide, the more she would dig. Had he tried to dodge, Quinn would have deployed every trick to uncover the secrets of his room. Then Teresia would never have stayed hidden.
But by tossing out a deliberately outrageous, yet plausible smokescreen, he had turned the game back on her. Even if he were to confess the truth right to her face now, she would laugh it off.
I told you I've got someone under the desk. If you don't believe me, that's on you.
"So then, let's talk about your real purpose. We just met recently. To send you back here again to the Academy—only our mother could have given that order."
"Hehe, exactly so."
Quinn twirled her fingers. Out of nowhere, on her pale slender hand appeared a silver ring with a single arcane loop. She slipped it off and pushed it across the table toward him.
"Take it. Our majestic mother has rejected your rejection. You are now forced, with tears in your eyes, to accept double the reward. Doesn't it just break your heart?"
"How dreadful."
Linen said while reaching to take the storage ring, slipping it into his drawer without even checking.
"Oh? Not even going to examine the spoils? I thought you might have arranged this on purpose."
Quinn arched a brow.
"Half and half. That woman disdains lying—if she says she'll double it, she'll double it. But since even you can see through my game, surely our mother wouldn't let me profit without cost, would she?"
Linen replied evenly.
Quinn nodded, giving him a long, meaningful look.
"So bold, my dear little brother. Already daring to scheme against our mother. What you'll be capable of in the future—I dare not even imagine."
She paused.
"As you wish: Traor is finished. The replacement to liaise with you is under reconsideration. But our mother was none too pleased with your provocation. You may be facing some… trouble."
"Such as?"
Linen asked curiously.
"For instance, in the days to come, your Academy will transform from an iron barrel into a sieve. Mother will gradually shift the Shadow Knights' main force to counter enemies lurking in the capital. Eden Academy will no longer enjoy extra protection. Which means… more people like Kenn will appear. Your campus life is about to get turbulent."
"There's such a thing?"
Linen was stunned by the boldness and decisiveness of the Empress's plan. Having exposed a high-ranking Chronomancy Tower figure with hidden secrets, of course she would seize the moment to press hard. That was undoubtedly correct.
But to make Eden Academy into a sacrificial pawn… the cost seemed too steep.
Without protection, many more "Kenns" would appear—traitors revealed, or infiltrators sneaking in. Students and teachers alike would be injured. Some would die.
"In recent years, the Academy's graduates have been too uneven in quality. Mother wants these sheltered soft eggs to feel pressure, to force out some truly useful people."
Quinn massaged her forehead with a sigh.
"And I haven't even given you the worst of it yet. Next: there will be an unlucky one whose every request to Her Majesty will be ruthlessly refused. Guess who that poor soul is?"
"…Me?!"
Quinn looked up at him. Something about his voice didn't sound like outrage or despair…
"Cough, cough—I mean, I never thought that red dragon could be so heartless. Every request denied? Not even applying to return to the palace once?"
"Shouldn't… even that will be refused."
Quinn hesitated, then confirmed.
[Ding! Congratulations—rejected by hidden character, the Empress. Dragonification EXP increased!]
Holy crap!
Linen nearly leapt to his feet with joy. For the first time since his rebirth, he felt genuine warmth from that cold-blooded Empress mother—like warmth from a real parent.
"Of course, this situation won't be forever. Don't you want to know how to lift the ban?"
Quinn added.
Absolutely not. Best if it lasts a lifetime.
But to avoid seeming too abnormal, Linen dutifully asked: "Then how could it be lifted?"
The sense of dissonance only deepened…
Quinn glanced at him, suppressing a strange feeling in her chest, and smirked:
"The Spring Cup. You've heard of it, yes?"
"Mother decrees: to lift your ban, you must enter the Spring Cup, defeat all students and seniors alike, claim victory, and receive Headmaster Sorgana's reward. How does that sound—overwhelming already?"
Mother, are you serious?!
Linen now suspected the Empress had read his script and was deliberately farming him EXP. How else could she know he hadn't planned on participating in the Spring Cup at all?
Just then, a soft cough came from across the table. Quinn reclined against her chair, long legs crossed, her smile dazzling as she teased:
"Of course, if someone begs me, I might—just as his sister, not the Empress's subject—give him a little hint~"
Linen turned his head aside with a low click of his tongue. He knew—if he refused, she'd only hound him endlessly.
Since he had no intention of joining anyway, there was no burden in saying:
"Then please, my beloved Quinn-neesan, lend me your help."
"…"
Strangely, it wasn't as satisfying as she'd imagined, having this suddenly sly little brother beg her.
Still, since she'd offered, Quinn cleared her throat and gave her counsel:
"My advice is… don't enter the Spring Cup."
"…Hm?"
Linen blinked. He thought she was still joking. But when he looked up, her playful expression had vanished. Arms on the table, body leaning forward, her eyes held not a shred of mirth.
Only then did he realize—his mischievous sister was deadly serious.
"My foolish brother. Even after all I've said, you haven't grasped the danger of this Spring Cup."
Quinn shook her head.
"You don't yet understand what you've done."
"With your aid, we accomplished what no nation had ever done—we proved that the Tower's high council meddled in foreign affairs. And the one you had me execute? That was no random figure. That was a true disciple of the Ring of Withering, one of the Tower's Twelve-Ring Masters. Did you know… that bastard had already begun corrupting his anti-magic shackles? If I'd delayed the execution a little longer, he would've broken free. Then an enraged archmage, armed with forbidden withering arts specialized in breaking seals, would've been unleashed in the Shadow Knights' prison. Do you realize the consequences?"
"All the prisoners inside—breaking out in a mass escape?"
"Exactly. By a hair."
For once, Quinn's voice held a touch of fear.
That prison held not only high-ring mages under interrogation, but countless vicious criminals. If they had all poured out—not only the capital, but the whole central region of the Zijinghua Empire would have plunged into chaos.
"But thanks to you, his plan failed. Do you understand how much those people now hate you?"
"That's why this Spring Cup won't be child's play. You won't even know where the danger comes from. As your sister, my advice is: register, but don't actually participate."
Instantly, Linen understood her meaning.
If word got out that he'd signed up, all those thirsting for revenge would focus their attention on the Cup. Then if he suddenly withdrew, too late for them to back out, he would be perfectly safe until the tournament ended.
But he also saw the cost.
Once the Tower realized it had been duped, the ones to suffer would be the entire faculty and student body of Eden Academy.
The Tower had dominated clashes with nations since its founding. It would never allow repeated humiliation over a single prince.
Naturally, his Empress mother had thought of this. Which meant—she did it deliberately!
She wanted to use the Tower's pressure to sieve out true talents for the Empire—yet not let the Academy bleed too heavily. That would be loss without gain.
The best solution: manufacture a target. Focus the Tower's wrath, reducing harm to the rest.
And that target—was him.
So Mother is giving up on me?
No. If she wanted to abandon him, a clean severing would be far simpler than this volatile gamble.
This wasn't abandonment. It was a trial.
The trial from Empress Mom he had long awaited—had come.
If he passed, he would stand as true imperial heir alongside his brother and sister. If he failed—without awakened dragon blood, with arcana talent still not irreplaceable—he would be cast aside, just as in so many routes of the original novel.
Undeniably, this trial overlapped with none of the source's storylines. It was harder than all of them.
Only now did Linen realize—he had underestimated his Empress mother.
And Quinn, who had always stood by her, who knew the Bloodstained Red Dragon better than he did, had instantly seen through her intention.
She was not trying to spoil the trial with mischief. She had chosen, as his sister, to stand firmly at his side.
Does it sound vile? So be it.
Let others die. As long as you live first—that's enough.
"My foolish little brother… if it's you, surely you understand my true meaning. You'll make the right choice, won't you?"
Leaning casually back in her chair, slender fingers twirling idly, Quinn glanced sidelong at him and asked softly.
But Linen only shook his head.
"I understand, Quinn-neesan. But allow me to refuse."
Quinn's pupils quivered.