Ling Xin woke up soon after that.

"Mm…ngh, huh?"

She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was my back. I had been sitting in front of her, protecting her from the snowstorm.

"Finally awake?"

"… Xuan Kai-kun?"

I sighed. "What's with the 'kun'? You're not a demihuman. Humans don't use honorifics like that."

"Eh, I just thought it's cute… hm, still, you saved me, huh?" she murmured, then suddenly latched onto my back and whispered into my ear seductively.

"Ara ara~ could it be… you've fallen for my charms?"

I sent her an unamused glance and pried her hands off of me as the other girls watched on in jealousy, eyes filled with killing intent. "If you're able to flirt like that, it's clear you've recovered."

"Hehe~"

"So? We beat you. What do we have to do now?"

"Oh my, but did you? Now that I have recovered, I can…"

"You won't," I cut her off. "You're not the type to return good with evil."

"Hmm… and what do you know about me?" she whispered.

I lowered my voice so no one else would hear. "I'm not stupid. You let us win that fight."

Her eyes widened slightly, but quickly regained her composure since she didn't want to other girls realizing something was off.

"… How did you know?"

"It was obvious. A Holy Emperor, failing to manage her mana properly? I refuse to believe that."

"…" she fell silent, as if disappointed her trick had been seen through.

"None of the others know," I said, comforting her a bit. "But tell me… why did you let us win?"

She smiled seductively. "Because I like you. Why else?"

I scoffed. "It's more like you're interested in my abilities."

"Why ask if you already know?" she giggled, but then grabbed my hand and placed it against her ample breasts. My eyes widened and I turned to look at her in the eyes. It was then that I realized they were glowing yellow, though they were black before.

"Though… you did save me," she whispered like a charming princess. "So if you want… I don't mind being yours, hehe."

"Tch…" I tore my hand away. "How many men have you seduced like that?"

"Ara, you're the first one I've tried to, actually," she blinked a few times in honesty.

Level One Psychic Magic - Detect Lie.

This had been one of the spells I learned at the Library of Infinite Beginnings. This isn't exactly a good use for it, but might as well test it out.

My eyes widened a bit. The results of the test… were false? In other words, she wasn't lying?

No… she could be giving me a false output here. She was a Holy Emperor, an artifact that prevented any lie detection spells wouldn't be out of her reach, not to mention if she had a Psychic Element affinity.

Not that I cared about this, anyway.

"What elemental affinities do you have?" I asked.

"Hm… let's see, Shadow, Space, and Void are the only ones I use commonly. As for my other ones… Enchantment, Sound, Demon, and Earth."

I blinked in surprise. "You… actually told me?"

She giggled. "Hehe~ I'm not stupid either. I can feel something's off with my Battle Soul, like it's… constrained, somehow. You definitely did something to me when I was unconscious."

Well, if you put it like that, it sounds a bit… never mind.

Still, she didn't have Psychic or Curse element affinities… though then again, there was a chance she was lying. I don't think she was, though.

Then… did that mean I really was the first person she's tried courting?

Given her demeanor, that was… pretty hard to believe, but not impossible.

Sighing, I continued, putting that matter aside for now. "What do we do now to complete the preliminaries?"

She smiled. "Anytime, now."

"Huh?"

As if on cue, the seven pillars around us shot out different-colored beams of light, converging into a crackling sphere of energy above us. The seven colors were black, dark blue, dark purple, white, lime, crimson, and brown.

"Those colors… they match your elemental affinities…" I murmured.

"Indeed they do."

The girls all stood up from resting, and I did the same. Only Ling Xin seemed unfazed.

The sphere began spinning more rapidly than ever, and eventually, it exploded, painting the sky the seven colors.

A portal then opened in front of us. It was the same seven colors as the sky, spinning slowly. It made me dizzy to look at it for too long, so I quickly averted my gaze.

"Just step through the portal, and you'll have passed~" Ling Xin said with a smile.

"… Leena," I said, turning to the elf.

"H-Huh? Yes?"

"… Your team…"

She quickly shook her head. "D-Don't worry about it! I never expected to win this anyway with this handicap… I was just hoping to make it out of this alive to try again next year."

"… I see. Sorry, I… kind of used you."

"Ahaha, that can't be helped…"

I then turned back to Ling Xin. "When Leena's team gets here…"

She winked. "I get it. I'll just let them pass."

"X-Xuan Kai?" Leena's eyes widened.

"Second place should still have some rewards, right?"

Ling Xin nodded. "While they won't be able to participate in the main tournament, they will still have a chance to make it into Fragment this year… though I can't say too much about that right now. Then again, you could probably force me to talk anyway."

"I won't do that. If possible, I want to keep our relationship neutral. The Soul Shackle is just there as a… precaution."

"Ara ara, showing care for this big sister?" Ling Xin hugged me from behind, caressing my chest seductively.

"H-Hey!" the other girls yelled, pouting in jealousy.

Mei Gui, in particular, had a grim look on her face.

"Do you want to die, Shadow Empress?"

"Mei Gui… don't…" I sighed exasperatedly.

"Ara, Xuan Kai-kun is defending me~"

"… Give an inch and they'll reach for a mile," I muttered, prying her bewitching hands off of me. "You guys go on ahead through the portal."

The girls looked at one another but did as told, leaving behind only Leena, Ling Xin, and I.

"A job for me, perhaps?" she murmured into my ear.

I glanced at Leena, who met my gaze. "I-I understand."

Saying this, she moved away as to not disturb our conversation. With this, I didn't have to worry about her hearing something she shouldn't.

"My first task for you is to find me information on the Midnight Syndicate," I said quietly. "With the IMF's resources, that shouldn't be difficult."

"… That's a tall order, y'know? The other council members will get suspicious if I suddenly start digging around about that criminal organization."

"Is your seat among the Council of Arcanity that low?"

"Well, you can probably see why, can't you?"

I fell into thought. "What if… I get another person to help you?"

"Another person… haha! Do you think outsiders can interfere in the Council's matters?" Ling Xin laughed boldly, clutching her stomatch.

"No… what if he is a Council member, just like you?"

Ling Xin paused. "… You know another one?"

The Human Founder I had met in the Library of Infinite Beginnings had also been a member of the Council of Arcanity. This was info he told me himself, so it couldn't be wrong. Still, being both a Council of Arcanity member and a Founder of the Library… how serendipitous.

I smirked. "Yeah. His name is Tian Lin. Do you not recognize him?"

"Tian Lin… real names are not used in the Council of Arcanity. Only aliases. I, for example, am known as the Shadow Empress. But if you describe his appearance…"

"Tall, cold, glasses. Black hair, black eyes. About 40."

"Oh, there is someone like that… a human, right?"

I nodded. "What's his alias?"

Ling Xin snickered. "Tsunami."

"So… Water Magic?"

"Yep. If I were to fight him, there's no telling who would win."

He's on the Council… it makes sense for him to be on the same level as Ling Xin.

"I see. Well, I'll get him to help you."

"How…?" she tilted her head in puzzlement. "How do you even know him in the first place…?"

"I have my ways. Also, you're not exactly in a position to be asking questions."

She giggled. "Hehe, didn't you just say you wanted to keep our relationship… neutral? What's with the threats?"

I snorted. "As if you can be controlled without threats. I would like to avoid using them if possible, but…"

"Yes, yes… I won't betray you, don't worry. I lost, so I have to pay the price, yeah?"

Despite her situation, she seemed very carefree and easy-going, as if nothing had changed. In fact, she seemed… happier than before.

"Hey…" I began hesitantly.

"Hm?

"… Your eyes. There's a trace of sadness hidden within them, deep down."

"… Whatever do you mean?"

"My instincts tell me you don't actually want to be in the Council of Arcanity at all," I said. "And it definitely has something to do with your past."

"… Sorry, even if you kill me, I'm not saying anything about that," she said after a short silence. She was being serious, her tone dark, in a stark contrast with her usual self.

"… We'll meet again."

With those words, I stepped through the portal, leaving her behind.

In the corner of my eye, I saw her reach out with her hand a bit, as if trying to hold me back from leaving, but she retracted it almost immediately. I could see the faint gleam of a tear in her eyes, threatening to shatter the silence between us.

I pretended not to notice this and continued onwards.

This girl… she's more than she seems. Was she crying just now because I pointed out her past? The past that no one else was supposed to know?

She still had many more mysteries… and that only made me more curious about her.

Ling Xin…

"Xuan Kai…"

"Just who are you?"1

Just for reference, the two said this at the same time as they parted (Ling Xin out loud, Xuan Kai in his head).