46 - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

### Chapter 46: The Witch of the End #### Early the next morning: After waking from his slumber, Lynn, under the guidance of the maid Nina, made his way to the library of the Augusta Manor. The previous night, after obtaining the holy relic from Ives, Lynn had been trying to replicate the prayer ritual from the original book, hoping to attract the attention of the Witch of the End from ten thousand years in the future. However, by midnight, he had to reluctantly accept the reality. Many of the setups in the original were illogical, often glossed over. Given his limited understanding of this world's mystical knowledge, it was challenging for Lynn to recreate the protagonist's actions. Many details, such as the magical matrices and even the materials, were missing. Fortunately, Lynn remembered the crucial parts, and the prayers were etched in his mind. He needed to gather the relevant ritual knowledge to complete the missing parts. According to the original, the steps were tedious and complex, but there were no overly advanced parts. As long as one understood the principles and possessed the key items, even someone else had a chance to succeed. The protagonist merely had a halo ensuring success on the first try in the original. To understand the ritual's principles and composition, Lynn was compelled to head to the library to seek out pertinent information. On his way, he recognized many faces he'd seen at breakfast the previous day. Upon seeing him, many instinctively made way and nodded courteously, possibly due to him perfectly resolving the issue with the Creationist Church followers. However, Lynn didn't bother to engage with them and headed straight to the library. The Augusta Manor was vast, and even its library was built like a small-scale library, with rows of books neatly arranged on old wooden shelves. Each book was orderly catalogued and well-preserved. With the index's help, Lynn quickly found a particular shelf and discovered a book of substantial value: "An Insight and Practical Application of Ritual Magic." This book was even briefly mentioned in the original; its author was a renowned scholar on the continent—though the original mentioned her primarily because she was a beautiful woman. Thus, those who know, know. Maevis Gloranst. Seeing the signature, Lynn shook his head. He wondered when he'd have a chance to meet these notable women from the original. Their plot levels were likely high, marking them as potential gold mines for Lynn. With that thought, Lynn planned to borrow the book and head to the adjacent reading area. However, upon spotting a distant figure, he froze. There sat Affeya, who, for some reason, had taken on a human form today. Sitting at a wooden table, she appeared frustrated as she faced several books. Perhaps because there was no mission today, she had swapped out the black leather outfit seen last night for a delicate princess dress. She looked all the more adorably charming. Lynn cleared his throat, preparing to greet her. "Good morning, beautiful lady," he said, walking toward her while whistling. Upon recognizing him, a hint of joy flashed in Affeya's eyes. However, she then seemed to recall something, becoming visibly anxious. Her slender legs under the table retracted slightly. Looking down, Lynn noticed the princess shoes he had given her, now encasing her small, delicate feet clad in white silk. He suddenly realized and gazed at Affeya with meaningful eyes. Her cute face immediately flushed crimson, and she stammered, "I-I just wore them by mistake this morning, I'll change once I go back..." Before she could finish, Lynn felt a tap on his shoulder. "Hey, what brings you here?" Turning around, he found Morris standing beside him, holding several books. "Feeling bored, I thought I'd borrow a book to read," Lynn replied. Morris nodded and then looked at Affeya, sprawled on the table. Seeing her dispirited demeanor, he couldn't help but tease, "Why aren't you flaunting those shoes today? Yesterday, you couldn't stop parading them around, even showing them to His Highness. It's the first time I've seen you so taken by something; wonder who gave them to you." Hiss. Lynn drew a sharp breath. Initially, he hadn't intended to say much, planning to let the issue slide. But Morris came over, ripping away Affeya's last bit of dignity and trampling it underfoot. Was this meant to make her flee the planet in shame? Indeed. The next moment, Affeya's eyes glistened with tears, as if on the verge of crying. "Chat amongst yourselves, I'm out," her eyes seemed to silently plead. Seeing this, Lynn decided not to tease her further and attempted to shift the topic. "So, why are you two here? Anything specific you need to do?" he asked Morris. Upon hearing this, Morris looked somewhat troubled. "It seems we need to return to the imperial capital by year's end. His Highness has given us an ultimatum, demanding we pass the entrance exams of the Holy Laurent Royal Academy, so we're cramming all related knowledge." Lynn pondered for a moment. Year's end was just a month away. It seemed he would soon accompany them back to the imperial capital, facing the tumult that should've befallen Ives. If he were to flee, that might be an ideal time. Or perhaps he should return to the capital and cling to their powerful allies, hoping they could rescue him from impending doom? For a moment, Lynn was deep in thought. "By the way, what do you know about the Four Great Eras?" Morris spread a book on the table, pointing at the dense Ancient Laurentian script, "It's overwhelming to even look at." The ancient history of the continent was a mandatory subject at the Royal Academy, with most achieving scores above 90. To avoid falling behind, Morris and Affeya had been putting in the necessary hard work. The Four Great Eras? Lynn glanced at the book's contents and was immediately overwhelmed. Restricted by the era's limitations, the content was excessively convoluted, mixed with much useless and even incorrect information. In response, Lynn pulled up a chair and sat across from Affeya. "The Four Great Eras, as the name suggests, consist of four eras." "The First Era, the Chaos Era, is impossible to verify due to its occurrence thousands of years ago." "The Second Era is the Age of Gods." "After the Chaos Era, gods walked the earth, establishing divine kingdoms and displaying miracles, guiding the unenlightened people towards faith and evolution." "The Third Era is also known as the Holy War Era." "For unknown reasons, the gods seemed to engage in a massive and lengthy holy war, with seemingly some deities falling, and many faiths disappearing as a result." Pausing, Lynn looked at the bewildered Affeya and Morris. "The Fourth Era is the Era of Kings, which we currently inhabit." "Post-Holy War, the gods retreated, and humanity entered an unprecedented period of decline, with many ancient demons awakening and rising." "They were terrifying beings, comparable to deities, bringing disasters upon humanity." "In such peril, many human warriors stood up, forming resistance camps with divine aid, which gradually evolved into the five great empires." "For instance, the Holy Laurent Empire, where we reside, is known as the 'Nation of the Sacred Tree,' famed worldwide for the 'World Tree' in the capital's center." "Additionally, there's the 'Dust Sand Nation' Tutkhamun, a strong northern power adjacent to the Holy Laurent Empire; the Silenstadt Republic of the southern continent; and others..." ... When Lynn returned to his room after finishing his tasks, it was already evening. The dusk painted the manor's lawns a dark golden hue, appearing grand yet desolate. He had deliberately chosen this time to return to his room to perform the ritual, hoping to draw the gaze of the Witch of the End upon the stream of history. Dusk was considered her special time, aligning with her preferences, significantly raising the success rate. After reading the book on ritual magic, Lynn, though not a theoretical expert, was much improved compared to before. At least concerning this ritual, he felt quite confident. As long as he successfully communicated with that entity and completed the trial she set forth, Lynn could once again become extraordinary. He would then be able to use the system to activate divine bestowed factors at will, soaring freely like a bird in the vast sky. Moreover, he would be one of the strongest among his peers. With the backing of the most powerful faith and the system... damn it, what in the world could stand against him?! At this moment, a sense of ambition and resolve ignited in Lynn's heart. Then, the ritual began.