Vinny returned to the familiar dorm. Everything was just as familiar as ever, as if time were still frozen on the moment he and Dale had carried big and small bags of luggage out of the dorm.

Looking at the completely empty dorm, Vinny knew that even if he called out, nobody would answer—but like he was coming home as usual, he still called out once.

“Dale.”

Only his own voice echoed back inside the room, just as expected.

Vinny sat down on the sofa and let out a long sigh.

Life really was the most fickle thing. No one knew whether uncertainty and accidents would come first, or tomorrow would.

Vinny leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Things stayed the same, people changed. A person’s condition was always in flux, always in motion, changing every moment. Only these dead objects—if they were like this when you left, they were still like this when you came back.

No... not exactly.

Their luggage hadn’t come back.

Vinny remembered that in the luggage there were those shampoos and skincare products he’d spent a fortune buying in the royal capital of Camella. Those were probably the most valuable things in the luggage.

But now, none of that mattered.

It wasn’t until the afternoon—after he’d dozed off on the sofa—that Vinny finally got up. Sleep still clung to his eyes, his expression dazed as he looked at the empty dorm.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

Right then, three knocks sounded at the door.

Vinny’s eyes lit up. He jumped down and went to open it.

But what came into view wasn’t some familiar person from his memories—it was a stranger, a boy wearing the Carillian Academy uniform.

“Sorry to bother you. May I ask—this is the residence of Student Vinny and Student Dale, correct?” the boy asked, holding a sheet of paper. Judging by his appearance, he was probably an upperclassman who hadn’t participated in this study trip.

“Yes. And you are?” Vinny asked, reining in the disappointment that had flashed through his eyes.

“Are you Student Vinny, or Student Dale?” the boy asked.

“I’m Vinny.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“Student Vinny, you’ve worked hard. It’s like this—academy regulations require all returning students to undergo a comprehensive medical examination tomorrow. Also, if you feel like something is off with you mentally, please go to the counseling office as soon as possible to consult a therapist. They always have time. And you can fill out this form—list all property or money you lost this time. The academy will reimburse everything in full.”

As he spoke, the boy handed the sheet to Vinny.

“Alright. I understand,” Vinny said, taking the form the upperclassman offered.

“Mm. Get some good rest. Don’t think too much. The academy will arrange everything for you,” the upperclassman said. He didn’t really know how to comfort Vinny. He could see the disappointment on Vinny’s face when he opened the door and realized it was him. And with the room seemingly occupied by only Vinny, it wasn’t hard to imagine what Vinny was worried about now.

The door closed. The upperclassman left.

Vinny set the form on the table without looking at it. He simply stared in silence toward the empty kitchen, not knowing what he was thinking.

The next day, Vinny got up early in the morning to do the comprehensive examination—but it was still a bit late, and he went on an empty stomach. After all, today wasn’t like before. No one was there to wake him up, and no one had prepared a lavish breakfast for him.

Carillian Academy’s efficiency was fast. After something like this happened, the entire school would obviously mobilize, using every resource to soothe and take care of these lower-year students who had survived a catastrophe.

Even though there was still a line, it didn’t take long for it to be Vinny’s turn.

Vinny also got a rough look at what kind of mental state the students who’d escaped the cube space were in. Most looked utterly listless—like they’d seen something unseeable, their sanity nearly drained dry, now in some kind of recovery phase.

Vinny silently took it all in.

This was only what he could see on the surface.

Behind the scenes, how many unforgivable sins had the Church of the Dawn committed?

Leaving everything else aside—if what Luna said was true, if they’d colluded with Demon Pillar fanatics and even helped release the Demon Pillars, then whether they meant to or not, whether it was direct or indirect... they’d harmed so many people. Those bastards already deserved death.

A holy war. A saintess. A goddess.

Under those stereotypes, everyone believed the Church of the Dawn was the core of the human nations—the sanctuary for all good living beings.

Who would’ve thought it had already become the demons’ main base?

And this time was the same.

Vinny felt he couldn’t keep silent any longer.

He didn’t know what the Church of the Dawn was plotting, what they were truly trying to do—but the first time, they set their sights on Mirexia. The second time, to manufacture his death as an “accident,” they dragged in who knew how many innocent people.

Even now, most of the people he knew still hadn’t come back.

To put it bluntly, calling them missing—dead or alive—wasn’t wrong.

A church like that... what reason did it have to remain in the human world?

One day, maybe it really would come to that point—no reconciliation, only death. Even if he had to go to hell, he would drag the Church and the Pope down with him.

The examination ended. Vinny’s body didn’t have any major issues. The nuns and priests only told him to go back and rest well. They also gave him some alchemical potions to quickly recover stamina and vitality.

Vinny pretended to accept them.

Then at the entrance, he turned a corner and threw those alchemical potions into the trash.

Right now, he didn’t trust any clergy—especially not the nuns and priests stationed at Carillian Academy.

His vigilance toward the Church was no less than his vigilance toward the most venomous snake under heaven.

These days, first-years and second-years were forced to suspend classes. Even if the students came back, they’d probably still be suspended for a while—to rest, to stabilize, to soothe emotions.

If it were any other time, Vinny would’ve been thrilled. He wouldn’t care what caused the suspension. He would’ve grabbed his cards the very next day and gone to find the card guys.

But now, he couldn’t muster that interest at all.

If anything, it was hard for him to even find a single card guy to play with.

The card guys. Everyone from the armor class. And the Destiny Heroines.

How were they doing now?

So this was what it felt like to have something you cared about. You could never again enjoy that thoughtless, carefree happiness.

With nothing to do, Vinny thought about filling out the form. After all, he really had lost a lot of things at Kamov Mountain.

But when he found a pen, Vinny just stared at the form for a long time without writing. He didn’t know where to start.

He forced himself to finish it.

Then Vinny went to the Student Council and submitted the form to the Student Council member on duty. Out of habit, he wanted to go up to the third-floor Student Council President’s office to find Mirexia—

Only to realize Mirexia probably hadn’t returned.

“Excuse me... has President Mirexia come back?” Vinny asked the Student Council front desk. At the moment, the only members left at the front were third-years and fourth-years.

“Not yet, Student Vinny.” Vinny was also a Student Council member, so these upperclassmen and upperclasswomen all basically knew him.

“Vinny? You’re back?”

Right then, a familiar voice came from behind him.

Vinny looked over and saw the senior who had always taken good care of him.

“Senior.” There was more color in Vinny’s eyes as he walked over.

“Mm.” The senior naturally saw what state Vinny was in, and she knew what had happened. She let out a long sigh. “It’s good you’re back. It’s good you came back safe.”

“Mm.” Vinny nodded, not knowing what to say next.

“If you need help anywhere, or need anything at all, just come to me,” the senior said, raising her hand and resting it on Vinny’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Senior.” Vinny thanked her, then was about to leave—only to turn his head back. “Senior... can you help me keep an eye on my roommate’s return status? If he comes back, can you come tell me?”

“Your roommate still hasn’t returned? Alright, I understand. You mean that delicate Moon Elf boy, right? Got it.” The senior nodded and agreed.

“Alright. Sorry to trouble you, Senior.” Vinny left the Student Council.

At the courtyard gate of the Student Council, Vinny lifted his eyes—

And froze.

That familiar, upright golden figure drew his attention. And as he raised his gaze, that gold seemed to share some unspoken understanding with him, lifting its eyes as well.

Their gazes collided in midair.

“Vinny?”

“Mirexia?” Vinny stared at the girl standing at the Student Council entrance—her clothes a bit messy, her flowing, molten-gold twin-tails scattered with a few stray strands, but still as heroic as ever, standing tall and straight.

A warm, familiar feeling instantly wrapped around half of Vinny’s heart.

After experiencing something like that, there was nothing more comforting than seeing his familiar childhood friend.

[Virtue +100]

[Current Virtue: 7124]

Both of them saw in the other’s eyes the joy and relief that the other was okay.

Vinny was the more proactive one. He strode over ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) and pulled Mirexia into a tight hug.

“Huh—?!” Mirexia stared in surprise at Vinny throwing himself into her arms. Feeling his movement against her, a clear blush flashed across her cheeks—yet that shyness was quickly drowned out by her concern and longing for him.

[Virtue +150]

[Current Virtue: 7274]

She hugged him back.

The familiar crisp citrus scent in Mirexia’s hair and on her body restored quite a bit of Vinny’s sanity, and there was finally some light in his eyes again.

“It’s good you’re okay.”

“I missed you so much,” Vinny murmured softly beside Mirexia’s ear. The sincerity in those words landed cleanly, and the rosy color drifting over the girl’s frost-pale face deepened even more.

[Virtue +250]

[Current Virtue: 7524]

That combo hit Mirexia so hard she didn’t know what to do. Feeling the warmth of the person in her arms, the little deer in her heart thrashed wildly.

“Y-you too... it’s good you’re okay.” Mirexia’s voice carried a heat and tremble that was hard to notice.

Then Vinny loosened the embrace. “You just got back, right? Sorry—I was too impatient. You weren’t hurt, were you?”

“I was, a little. But the accompanying nuns have already healed my injuries.” Then Mirexia’s cold, frost-like beautiful eyes melted, brimming with concern for Vinny. “What about you? Were you hurt?”

“My injuries are all healed. You don’t need to worry about me.” Vinny shook his head.

“So... after that day, what happened to you?”

“That day?” Mirexia thought for a moment. “I remember we were playing board games, and then a black cube appeared. My consciousness gradually became blurry. When I woke up, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar world.”

Hearing that, Mirexia’s experience was about the same as his—or rather, everyone’s had been about the same.

Only, Mirexia’s mental state wasn’t great either, but it was clearly better than his, better than most other Carillian students. At the very least, she didn’t have that drained-to-the-bone feeling of sanity nearly gone. She still looked psychologically healthy—only now, after confirming she hadn’t been harmed, the anxiety she’d been carrying finally eased.

Destiny Heroines were called Destiny Heroines for a reason.

Earlier, in the examination room, Vinny had seen some other students—among a very small portion, Vinny could no longer see the resolve or momentum to keep going in their faces.

After this incident, even among Carillian Academy students, many had developed mental problems. A tiny few had it extremely badly—so badly that even if they survived, they wouldn’t be able to keep attending classes, all the way through graduation and out of the academy.

The Destiny Heroines were different. Forget talent and luck—just their temperament and willpower weren’t something ordinary geniuses could compare to.

“Did you meet other students in the cube space?” Vinny asked.

“I met a few,” Mirexia said calmly.

But Vinny knew. With Mirexia’s sense of responsibility, the subtext was obvious.

I met several underclassmen. I organized them, protected them, and brought them all back safely.

After all, last time when [Bronze Blood] ambushed her, it was because Mirexia had been drugged with a fallen-dragon potion. At her peak, Mirexia was terrifyingly strong—and she also had [Saint’s Favor].

“Right... Mirexia. While you were in there, did you see Dale?” Vinny asked.

“Dale? No.” Mirexia shook her head, then hesitated as she looked at Vinny. “He hasn’t come back?”

“No.” Vinny shook his head.

Mirexia immediately understood why Vinny had been so downcast. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and gently rubbed his head.

“Don’t worry too much. Dale will definitely be fine.”

“Mm.” Vinny nodded.

After parting with Mirexia, Vinny wandered around campus.

Mirexia had rushed back as an emergency. She’d just gotten down from the carriage—she didn’t even go back to her dorm first. The first place she came was the Student Council. As the Student Council President, she had many things to handle and needed to preside over the work.

Just like always—an absolute workaholic.

Truthfully, there was another reason Mirexia had rushed to the Student Council the moment she returned.

To check the return records.

To see whether Vinny had made it back safely.

After confirming Mirexia was fine, Vinny’s mood improved a lot—at least, compared to before.

(After midnight it’s the moe war finals, meow... rolling around and begging everyone to support Vinny, meow. Free heart gestures don’t cost money, meow, and you can claim them every day, meow. Thank you! If Vinny wins, three extra chapters, meow!)