Stop Hypnotizing Me, Antagonist Princess!

Late at night, at Bartleion Mansion.

At this moment, inside Lynn's room, the flickering candlelight cast a shadow on everyone's face, all displaying expressions clouded with worry.

Ivyst sat silently by the window, gazing into the pitch-black night sky.

Suddenly, Glaya said with a troubled look, "I never imagined that Lynn himself would turn out to be the Amputator."

As soon as these words fell, everyone's gaze instantly focused on his face, then quickly averted their eyes.

Clearly, no one wanted to pursue that foolish line of thought.

Only Aphia, in her kitten form resting on Eleanor's knees, sighed very humanly: "At this point, it seems you're the only one who hasn't caught on."

"What do you mean?"

Glaya was puzzled for a few seconds.

"Shut up."

Ivyst's cold voice came through, causing Glaya to shrink back like a quail.

It was obvious to everyone except for him that everything that had occurred today was just another of Lynn's risky attempts to keep the Imperial Princess and them from taking the gamble of heading to the Helius Mausoleum. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

Yet, they still hadn't figured out why he would assume the identity of the Amputator.

Nor why he would attempt to assassinate the patriarch of the Cortes family in the street, leaving him now hanging between life and death.

Everyone found this behavior insanely fitting with Lynn's established character but still could not fathom his true intent.

The Princess seemed to know something.

Unfortunately, she hadn't anticipated that the guy would still have time-related Extraordinary Abilities, allowing him to escape the scene.

It was well known that in the Saint Laurent Empire, where polytheistic beliefs thrived, time-related abilities were incredibly rare, with no deity possessing such Authority.

According to rumors, there might be an ancient church involving the domain of time in the Sirunstat Republic on the Southern Continent.

After some time, Milani broke the silence softly, "Perhaps... his actions were meant to lure the snake out of its hole."

With such a significant incident occurring at home, especially concerning her beloved experiment subject number 126, even she couldn't stay put and had left the laboratory to help.

Among those present, perhaps only her mind was sharp enough.

"Lure the snake from its hole?"

While stroking Aphia on her knees, Eleanor asked with her eyes turning red.

After a difficult reunion with her brother, he had once again engaged in self-destructive behavior in front of her, causing her to cry in fear throughout the day.

Milani nodded her head, then sighed lightly: "Think carefully, it does fit his way of doing things, but... how everything will settle after the case is cracked, that's hard to say."

Case cracked?

Settle?

Obviously, everyone was on different wavelengths in their thoughts.

They were still puzzling over Lynn's actions, while Milani had already grasped the essence of the situation.

Perceiving the confused and worried looks around her, she didn't keep them in suspense: "You all must have gone over the Amputator's dossier many times, right?"

"Right."

Everyone in unison.

Milani nodded: "With my knowledge of Ascension Trials and research on the Demon Clan, this Amputator Burshman is most likely a Transcendent who needs to carry out serial killings to Upgrade to Fifth Rank."

"For a Transcendent with 'Evil' beliefs, there's nothing more fitting for an Ascension Trial than becoming a source of fear."

"And the actions of subject number 126 precisely thwarted what that Demon intended to achieve."

"Thwarted?"

Someone was confused.

"Yes." Milani nodded lightly, "Rather than a specific person, Amputator Burshman seems more like an abstract concept, a dreadful thing akin to an urban myth."

"As long as he is not arrested, the panic in people's hearts will not subside."

"And as long as the panic exists, it will continue to provide him with energy, making him increasingly powerful, and even... in the near future, quietly upgrading to the realm of a Fifth Rank Legendary."

"Just think, a Fifth Rank Legendary Transcendent of the Demon Race, specializing in stealth and assassination, lurking in Glostit—like a blade hanging over everyone's heads."

"If this day really comes, people will live in even greater terror, and the whole city will become paranoid."

"But subject number 126 quite bluntly broke this pattern."

"He shattered the original abstract concept with the lie 'Lynn Bartleion is the Amputator'... This meant that the fear energy originally belonging to the real Amputator now shifted to him."

"It's the equivalent of directly sabotaging his Ascension Trial, preventing those events from happening."

For a moment, everyone was enlightened.

Only Glaya was still baffled: "But what does this have to do with cracking the case?"

Now, Lynn was being hunted down across the city, not just by the Military Department and various factions but even the Three Great Churches sent out their elites to hunt down the Amputator Lynn.

After all, in the eyes of outsiders, he not only committed a heinous crime but also kidnapped a Prince on the spot.

The situation was simply too grave.

And all this trouble, just to disrupt the Ascension Trial of a Fourth Rank Transcendent?

Hearing this, Rhein, sitting nearby, couldn't hold back any longer and said coldly: "If being stupid is a hobby, then you've reached an incurable stage by now."

"I ask you," after the Ascension Trial is sabotaged, do you think the real Amputator would remain indifferent or would seek out that guy and, in a manner consistent with his style, murder him brutally to declare that there is another culprit?"

Fear energy is essential for his promotion to Fifth Rank Legendary.

Therefore, even knowing that there is something fishy, he would never sit back and let Lynn take the peach that rightfully belonged to him.

This is a hatred to the death.

Lynn had figured this out from the beginning, which is why he forced him into the open with this method.

It is an unabashed scheme.

Glaya finally understood the deeper meaning of all this, and his face drastically changed. "Does this mean that Lynn is now in great danger?"

He clenched his fist subconsciously, wanting to stand up, but when he saw the Imperial Princess's indifferent attitude, he bit his lip.

At that moment, the door was pushed open.

Everyone instinctively looked towards the door, even the Princess, who had been gazing out the window, turned to give it a faint glance.

It turned out to be Morris, arriving back with sweat all over his face.

"Latest news, Councilman Blake's life has been saved, but the silk thread shot by Lynn crossed through his abdomen, injuring his spine. It's very likely he'll have to lie in bed for the rest of his life,"

he said with urgency.

At the moment this message was received, everyone involuntarily sighed in relief.

Clearly, even under those circumstances, Lynn remained extremely calm without losing his head to anger.

Upon hearing this, a look of relief crossed Ivyst's face. Her fingers that had been tightly clenched under her sleeves now slightly loosened.

Then she stood up with a decisive and imposing manner and loudly ordered, "Everyone, set out immediately! We must find that guy before any other forces do!"

Hearing this, Rhein, who had been somewhat nervous since a while ago, seemed to come alive, collapsing completely back into his chair.

Glaya looked at his older brother oddly, not understanding what was going on.

"You..."

He was about to ask, but Rhein gave him a look.

It wasn't until they had left the Bartleion Mansion and were in a deserted and quiet place that he finally completely relaxed.

"Brother, why were you so nervous just now?"

Glaya asked, puzzled.

Hearing this, Rhein sighed and looked at his foolish brother with a complicated gaze.

After a short while, he slowly said, "Were you just curious, thinking that despite how urgent the situation had become, why did the Princess still seem so unhurried?"

Glaya nodded, clearly baffled by this.

"Because she was waiting for Morris's message," Rhein said calmly. "After all, there's a world of difference between someone being dead and someone not being dead."

"If he's not dead, there's still room for maneuver."

"But if Lynn had actually struck to kill at that time, then the order we would have received by now would not have been what it is, but..."

"But what?"

"A night raid on the Emperor's palace."

...

Silent Church.

Tiya was awakened from her sleep by a series of urgent knocks.

She opened her eyes instinctively, only to find, for some reason, tears streaking down her checks.

What exactly was wrong with her?

She sat bewildered on the edge of the bed, her bare feet lightly touching the wooden floor, and she felt a bit lost.

Fortunately, the knocking came again the next moment, prompting her to stand up subconsciously to answer the door.

At this moment, she was wearing a white nightdress that hung to her ankles. Though nothing particular could be seen, it was enough to leave much to the imagination.

As this was the monastery, where all the members were women of the Church, there was no need to be discreet.

However, Tiya still wrapped herself in a blanket to cover her body.

Considering it could be Brother Xiya knocking at such a time, she did it without thinking.

Even she herself didn't realize why she was behaving this way.

Fortunately, after she opened the door, she saw that it was her friend, the nun Louise.

Seeing Tiya's bewildered appearance, Sister Louise thought to herself how cute she was while she tidied up the disheveled hair on her shoulders.

"What's wrong, Louise? Why are you looking for me at this time?"

"Big trouble!" Louise finally remembered why she had knocked, her expression serious. "Not long ago, Amputator Burshman committed his 37th crime, assassinating Councilman Blake at the doorstep of the substitute punishers' headquarters and then took the Fourth Prince Joshua hostage on the spot!"

"Emperor Calderon was furious and immediately issued a highest-level wanted order. With the whole city under martial law, he also ordered the Three Great Churches to dispatch people to pursue the killer!"

"He even promised that the person who catches the culprit first can receive a branch from the Holy Spirit Tree!"

Hearing this, Tiya became more solemn. "And the true identity of the culprit?"

"Isn't it that Lynn Bartleion?" Louise looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Although you've been stressing to me all day that he is actually innocent... but the fact is right before our eyes, and it was even admitted by himself in public."

"I have to say, Tiya, you've been really strange lately."

(ps: I was planning to update at around 4 or 5 in the morning and didn't mean to delay too long, but suddenly got acute gastroenteritis, which as you know, has been a recurring issue, just got back from the hospital... anyway, sorry guys (;′⌒`).)