Slurpppp— Slurpppp—

"Fwa… thanks for the treat," Alice said, putting down her empty glass on the table.

She stood up from her chair when Leon asked, "You're leaving?"

Alice nodded as she stepped away from the table.

"Mhm. Didn't I tell you? I've already submitted my research for this year, and I still have to prepare for the presentation… Haahh…I'll be pulling an all-nighter at the club today."

"Oh, right. Well, good luck with that." Leon raised his thumb. "I'll be at the club tonight as well."

Alice blinked, briefly confused about why he would be there. Then she remembered.

"Ah, right. You still haven't submitted your research," she said. "You do know it's a bad idea to make Professor Esther wait like that, right? She had pretty high expectations of you."

That was true.

Leon had missed most of her classes and had only interacted with a few members of Luntara. As part of the same research club, he was supposed to attend the group meetings related to his work.

"..."

Alice narrowed her eyes at him.

"For someone who's on the verge of losing credits and getting scolded by a professor, you look way too calm. Like nothing happened and everything's fine."

Well, because it is fine, Leon thought.

He already had a solid idea of what he wanted to present his research on. And when he did, it would hit them all like a thunderbolt.

Leon could already imagine Esther's face.

"Alright," Alice said. "I'll take my leave now."

She didn't spare Ethan even a glance as she walked out of the cafeteria.

"..."

"..."

Now, it was just the two of them.

Ethan sighed and glanced down at his empty plate. Then he looked Leon straight in the eyes.

"Look, Leon… I'll be blunt with you," he said. "I can't tell you exactly where I got this map from. But I want you to believe me when I say it's authentic. And that it will lead us to Evana City."

Leon didn't respond immediately. He studied Ethan's expression instead.

He already knew the map was real. He knew where it would lead. And he also knew that if he refused Ethan now, Ethan would most likely go there alone.

This version of Ethan Graves hadn't properly met Cyan Miller yet.

"You said you want to visit Evana City by following this map," Leon said at last. "Right?"

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. That's right."

"Hm." Leon leaned back slightly. "Then tell me your purpose for going there."

"…That."

Ethan's words got stuck in his throat.

Leon already knew the answer.

Ethan wanted two things from this quest.

The first was the reward he would receive upon completing it.

[Reward: 01 Oracle]

An Oracle.

A single object that would completely change Ethan's life.

An Oracle would allow Ethan to glimpse his own future. It would show him which choices would lead him forward, and which ones would end in death.

It would come in the form of a revelation. One he could use.

After decoding the Oracle, Ethan would avoid making one fatal choice. The choice that would otherwise derail everything.

In gaming terms, this would be called a 'player hint'.

The second thing Ethan would gain was answers. Answers about his light affinity, Everbright's past, and his connection with her.

Evana would be the place where he would learn that the Everbright Goddess had blessed him.

All of this needed to happen.

Now, Leon wouldn't care about any of that if it didn't benefit him.

But after learning that he was nothing more than a pawn, indirectly controlled by Everbright with the help of his own sister…

He couldn't just stay silent and let it all happen.

He would make them understand exactly who they were dealing with.

Even if they were aware of his transmigration, it wouldn't bother Leon in the slightest.

That wouldn't change the endgame he had already prepared in his head.

'Haru.'

Rumi's voice suddenly echoed inside his head, snapping Leon out of his thoughts.

'What is it, Rumi?'

'The Endless. I think someone just opened a rift to that reality from the Human Domain.'

'Is that so…' Leon muttered internally, then reassured her. 'It's fine. I know who it would be. One of Aisha's high priests. I forgot his name, but don't worry. He's on our side.'

'Oh. If you say so.'

After that, she went quiet again.

A rift leading to the Endless Reality?

Leon smirked.

If that was true, then the Evana City Arc had already begun taking shape.

All the variables were moving. The only missing piece was Cyan Miller.

Leon adjusted the specs over his eyes and glanced at Ethan.

Ethan was lost in thought.

After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh and looked straight at Leon.

"My purpose is simple," Ethan said. "I want to find the truth about my Light. And why I have it."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "You think Evana City has what you're looking for?"

"Precisely," Ethan replied.

He knew this because his system had shared that information with him when he entered the book of his choice during the class allotment exam.

This was his reward.

A clue.

One that would lead him toward the truth he had been searching for.

Leon stared into his eyes as Ethan's blue gaze met his own.

"Alright," Leon said. "I'll come."

"…!"

Ethan's eyes widened.

He was about to speak when Leon cut him off.

"It seems you needed another capable participant," Leon said casually.

"That's true," Ethan admitted. "But Alice already rejected the offer. And it looks like she's busy with her research."

Leon tapped his finger against the table before speaking again.

"I know someone more capable than her," he said. "Do you want me to introduce you to him?"

Ethan tilted his head.

More capable than Alice? Who was he talking about?

Then a name surfaced in his mind.

"Princess Eula—"

"No way," Leon cut him off instantly. "I know her well. She wouldn't agree to this either."

"Huh. Then who?"

Leon smirked.

"We still have time," he said. "Wanna meet him?"

.

.

[A/N: Power Stone Target: Total 200 PS in 24 hours for 2 extra chapters]

(We were 20 PS short yesterday for bonus chapter, let's see if we finish todays's daily goal!)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.