Chapter 26 Under the Firmament (Part 3)1
Am I really intense about the Demon King?
Do I get agitated when that person is mentioned?
Do I? I do not!
Aren’t I just as cautious of the Demon King as most other people? That depraved… person, so thirsty for slaughter… I’ve… I’ve even made her name disappear from my dictionary.
But even as I explained this, Lian Qi still looked like she didn’t quite believe me. Ugh—
“You should also consider my feelings as a fellow transmigrator, you know? After all, the Demon King knew you before I did,” Lian Qi said, one hand on her hip, staring at me complainingly.
Wait.
Why do I vaguely get the feeling she’s… jealous?
“Lian Qi, even though you are both transmigrators, and I just happen to know both of you… to me, you’re… a different kind of existence.”
Ahem. I’ve said it so plainly. Even if the Demon King knew me first, don’t forget who stole my first kiss. What is there to be jealous about?
“A different kind of existence?” Lian Qi savored my words, then smiled.
“Is it because I’ve ‘unlocked’ so many shameful poses for you?”
“What nonsense are you spouting—!” I turned red instantly from embarrassment, but I also felt like I couldn’t defend myself, which was unbelievably shameful.
“…Y-You two… saying this stuff right in front of me—!” Qifeng looked as if she’d been struck by lightning, staggering back a step.
Exactly. We should talk about this kind of topic when we get home—wait? What’s with the mysterious blush creeping onto Qifeng’s face?
I’m the one having shameful poses unlocked, not her. This reaction isn’t right??
“Then what are you blushing for!?” I snapped at her, my own face full of shame.
She looks… kind of excited. She’s hopeless.
I felt helpless.
“Alright, let’s get back to business, okay? The river is purified now. Should we still go upstream?”
“Of course we’re going,” Lian Qi said. “But we’ll wait until it’s dark. Let’s go witness how the river turns pink for the second time.”
“For the second time…”
Time flew by. Dusk turned to night. A pale moon hung high above the riverbank.
Me, Lian Qi, and Qifeng were lying in ambush behind the perimeter wall of the mana crystal factory. Speaking of which, why does this experience of squatting and staking out a place in the shivering cold wind feel so familiar?
That’s right. Back at the Magic Academy, I also accompanied Lian Qi on a stakeout in the small woods and witnessed a blatant drug deal. It’s just as cold now as it was that night. Luckily, I came prepared today and wore an extra shawl, and I also changed into thicker stockings.
Speaking of which…
…it seems like… I haven’t worn any pants other than pajama pants?
Sometimes I wonder… when I get dressed, am I psychologically avoiding the fact that I’m a boy, and that’s why I’ve excluded pants from my wardrobe?
“Hooo—”
I won’t think about it, I won’t think about it.
I blew into my palms. My breath was white smoke.
“The temperature difference between day and night really is huge. That’s why I don’t believe the Druids’ claim that abusing magic is making the world warmer. Where is it getting warmer? It’s still so cold…”
Lian Qi glanced at me, a half-smile on her face. “Be careful. Because you just exhaled carbon dioxide, the world just got a little bit warmer.”
Just at that moment, Qifeng suddenly squeezed my hand, while at the same time pressing a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.
“Fei’er, I think there’s movement.”
Eh—? I immediately became alert, hiding behind the wall and peeking out.
The “movement” Qifeng was pointing to wasn’t the mana crystal factory discharging any toxic substances. It was… a person wrapped tightly in a black cloak approaching the riverbank. Sneaking around like that, they looked suspicious at a glance.
I watched him stand by the river and scan the area. When he looked in our direction, we quickly ducked back behind the wall. He almost spotted us. What a vigilant guy!
After a little while, when I peeked out again, he already had his back to me and had opened his cloak. He was holding a potion bottle in his hand.
We exchanged glances and carefully crept closer to him. This guy had clearly let his guard down and was completely focused on pouring the potion into the river, utterly unaware that we were right behind him.
I’m impressed he can be so focused while doing something so bad.
Qifeng lightly tapped his shoulder. He shrugged impatiently.
“Can’t you see I’m busy?”
The next second, he reacted, sucking in a cold breath!
“Who are you—”
Lian Qi grabbed him by the collar. All her pent-up anger erupted along with her deep blue magic! She swung him up and slammed him hard onto the ground!
“Speak! Who sent you?” Lian Qi planted one foot on his stomach, questioning him coldly.
The man grit his teeth, his eyes flew wide open, and he foamed at the mouth. In the blink of an eye, he was unconscious.
Lian Qi quickly pulled her foot back. “Wh-What? Did I hit him too hard?”
“No. It looks like he committed suicide by poison,” Qifeng said, crouching down to examine him.
“He… committed suicide by poison…” I was astonished.
“Yes. It seems the organization behind him is highly disciplined. They have the resolve to be shattered like jade in a critical moment,” Qifeng said, standing up and shaking her head with a sigh. She backed away from the corpse, step by step, moving closer to me, placing her hands in mine for comfort.
“A pity. This means the trail goes cold,” she said.
“No, it doesn’t matter if the trail is cold. We don’t need any more clues. It’s already obvious who this is pointing to,” Lian Qi said.
“Eh? Could it be… Lian Qi, are you referring to…”
Next, Qifeng and I exchanged a look, and said in unison: “The Druid organization’s environmental protection side?”
Lian Qi nodded, her face serious.
At this point, I had figured it all out.
“Then their goal isn’t to frame Teacher Mei Lin, but to frame magic. That’s why they dumped potent toxins into the Lucerne River, to frame the mana crystal factory upstream.”
“And then guide public opinion?” Qifeng tapped her fist against her palm, looking as if she’d had a sudden revelation.
“They thought they had everyone fooled, but unfortunately, they miscalculated,” Lian Qi said, looking at me. “Fei’er, you won’t be able to be their environmental public welfare ambassador. Now, it’s probably time for you, as the Saintess, to stand up and expose the Druids’ conspiracy.”
“Suddenly, I feel a great sense of responsibility,” I said, nodding firmly with a smile.
Lian Qi said, full of fighting spirit, “Since we already know their conspiracy, let’s expose their lies, one by one! And continue, until that mastermind behind the scenes… surfaces.”
For now, before the poison dumped into the river could fully spread, we found a way to stop the river from turning pink for the second time.
And the game against the Druid organization’s environmental protection side… has officially begun.
Footnotes
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This chapter is also titled (上篇 - Part 1) in the original text, likely a typo. It is presented as (Part 3) for sequential clarity. ↩