Time resumed.

Cassian landed in the shallow water, his knees buckling slightly as his boots hit the wet surface with a sharp splash. He immediately looked down at the creature — both halves of the butterfly lay severed. Then he glanced at his blade. Not a single drop of blood on it.

He turned around. Everyone was asleep — some leaning against stone pillars, others face-down in the water, and a few collapsed near Aria’s bed. Lucian lay on his side, completely unconscious.

"Huh... Weaklings."

Though Lucian heard him. He was just acting — making sure Cassian didn’t suspect a thing.

This fucker...

The butterfly’s mist effect lasted almost an hour. At that time, even Lucian genuinely fell asleep. The drowsiness from his sleeping disease was strong enough that he couldn’t resist it any longer.

A few more minutes passed. Then, the first to wake was Elira. Her eyes fluttered open. She glanced around. Cassian was sitting beside Aria’s bed. And Aria was awake too — sitting up.

Her skin no longer looked dry. The environmental effect of the cove had restored her health to normal, though she still looked weak — fragile, like she hadn’t fully recovered.

Cassian wasn’t saying anything. It was as if he had already said everything he needed to say and was now waiting for Aria to speak.

Pushing herself up from the water’s surface, Elira walked over to Aria’s bedside. Ignoring her completely soaked uniform, she stopped right beside her.

"Aria? Can you hear me?"

Aria gave a weak nod, her dry lips parting as she tried to form a word.

"E-Elira..."

Sensing her struggle, Elira leaned in closer to catch her faint voice.

"Make him... leave..." Aria breathed out, not even wanting to look in Cassian’s direction.

Cassian went completely rigid. It was as if his soul had just left his body. He collapsed to his knees, burying his forehead into the damp floor.

He tried to say something — anything — to defend himself. But with his mouth in the water, it just sounded like a drowning fish.

"Gurr-Aria... gurrriaaamm..."

Over the past few weeks — ever since Cassian had thrown that sleeping potion at Lucian — Aria’s image of him and her affection toward him had plummeted drastically.

The person Cassian hated most was Lucian. Thus the person he hated even more than Lucian right now was himself — especially when Aria ignored him or treated him like a stranger. And Watching him cry into a puddle, Elira just stared down at him with her face filled with absolute disdain.

"Disgusting..."

One by one, everyone scattered around the area began to wake up.

Sera and Kaelen’s eyes opened next. Both of them pushed themselves up, sitting upright in the water.

"Ugh... my head..." Kaelen groaned, rubbing his temple.

Lyria was already awake, her gaze fixed on the butterfly monster in the distance.

"Oh my..."

Sera’s eyes landed in the same direction.

"W-Wait, that thing is dead...?"

"Huh... guess someone killed it," Lyria murmured.

Zeri, still half-asleep, yelled out lazily, "

Yawwwn... Can you people stop shouting? Some of us are trying to sleep here..."

The trio’s eyes shifted toward Aria as Sera immediately rushed forward.

"Aria, you are awake! Oh god, I was so worried—" She went straight in for a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around her.

Sera had been holding back her anger for a long time, prioritizing Aria’s health above all else. But the second she looked down and saw the ’golden boy’ weeping in the puddle, her patience completely shattered.

"Y-You rascal! Sera grit her teeth.

"This is all your fault! Everything bad that happens is always because of you!"

She kept unleashing her fury though Cassian just listened and didn’t say a single word.

Lyria approached from behind as well. By then, Lucian had also gotten up and walked over.

First, Lucian sat down beside Aria and gently took her hand.

"Aria, look at me."

When she raised her head, he saw right through her — her health was mostly fine, however, she was terrified to hear the results of the Arcane exam. She was scared that what she feared might actually be true. Though, truth be told, someone had to tell her eventually.

Lucian gently squeezed her hand, his tone reassuring as he comforted her.

"Aria, do not worry. Even though you couldn’t take the Arcane exam, I’ll definitely figure something out to solve this. Just give me a little time... to find whoever is doing this to you. And you just focus on getting better, okay?"

Slowly, Aria’s lips curled into a small smile.

"Thank you, Lucian... I believe in you."

[DING!]

[Affection increased: 165 → 170]

[New Thought: "I won’t make you worry by stressing myself out. I’ll keep myself under control..."]

Lucian smiled.

"Good girl."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Standing nearby, Sera was trying her absolute hardest to remain deadpan.

"Ahem... And Sera..."

Seraphina looked toward Lucian.

"I think Cassian has learned his lesson. Why don’t we leave him alone now?" He gestured toward Aria.

Then, moving his hand behind his back, he sent a telepathic message directly into her brain with his fingers.

We shouldn’t discuss this in front of Aria. Even if she’s not showing it, it’s still affecting her. I can see it — her affection for Cassian is still at 72...

Standing beside her, Elira also sent a brain-sense message to Sera.

Meathead, put your brain aside before you speak... think over it, whatever you say next...

Both of them stared at her with suppressing glares.

Poor Sera immediately caved.

"W-What?! Stop looking at me like that! How am I supposed to help it? Just one look at his face makes me so pissed off that I couldn’t hold it back!"

The stares intensified.

"Okay, okay, I hear you! My mouth is shut!"

Lucian and Elira both sighed in relief.

Standing nearby, Kaelen and Lyria were left trying to decipher their coded language.

"Oh my... you all have quite the bond..."

Lyria smiled elegantly.

"It’s nice to see. Perhaps in tomorrow’s expedition, we could be of use to each other..."

Like a seasoned negotiator, Lyria turned her attention fully toward Lucian.

Lucian also mirrored her shift — flipping to a pure, fabricated expression — and stood up from the bed.

"You make a fair point. Still, if we are teaming up, it needs to be worth our time and mutual benefits, right?"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"And I’m guessing you know more about tomorrow’s exam than you are letting on."