Inside the loft, the three Grand Elders sat facing Ryan and Evelyn.

  "Headmistress, we wish to speak with Ryan privately about a few matters. We hope you can step outside the loft for a moment," Elara said, deliberately slowing her tone, trying to ask Evelyn to leave with a gentle approach.

  Evelyn's gaze shifted between the three Elders and Ryan, full of helplessness. Why could these people never interact calmly?

  Finally, she looked at Ryan, wanting to see his intention.

  Ryan felt equally helpless. What is meant to happen will happen. Rather than constantly avoiding it, he might as well face it head-on.

  Would he have to cling to Evelyn like a shadow to survive at Glacial Arcana Academy from now on?

  Since the matter would be addressed sooner or later, he was curious to see what these three old women actually wanted.

  Meeting Evelyn's eyes, Ryan said,"Mentor, since the three Grand Elders have something to tell me, you should go outside first."

  Evelyn looked at him deeply, remaining seated for a moment as if weighing the pros and cons.

  In the end, she rose and walked toward the loft door. As long as she stayed nearby, the Elders, out of consideration, would probably not use lethal force against Ryan.

  The moment Evelyn stepped out of the loft, a brilliant light barrier suddenly rose, instantly enveloping the entire loft. It was a shielding magic array!

  Evelyn's expression immediately darkened. Just to speak a few words, they actually deployed a shielding magic array to guard against her?

  Unease surged in her heart. She sensed that the situation was far more complicated than a simple inquiry or reprimand.

  …

  Inside the loft.

  As the shielding magic array fully formed, Maelira's figure blurred into a residual image and flashed before Ryan in an instant.

  Before Ryan could react, a surge of immense magical force struck him, lifting him off the ground completely. His feet left the floor entirely.

  Damn old woman! Ryan cursed silently.

  He immediately sank his spirit into his storage space, tightly clutching the Invincible Defense Magic Card engraved with defensive runes. This was his final life-saving card.

  Looking at the shielding magic array enclosing the loft, Ryan felt a flicker of confidence.

  With his current strength, combined with the Stellar Sword, it might not be impossible to cut through the array unscathed.

  The real challenge was the three Elders themselves, but as long as he could get out and take cover behind Evelyn, all other problems could be resolved.

  "What purpose do you have approaching the Headmistress!" Maelira's eyes blazed with anger as she gripped Ryan's neck with one hand.

  The magical energy in her fingertips could erupt at any moment. With a slight squeeze, she could snap his neck instantly.

  He had to activate emergency measures immediately.

  "Grimoire! Activate Danger Perception now! As soon as you detect their murderous intent, immediately trigger the Invincible Defense Magic Card!"

  Ryan's eyes widened, staring at Maelira's hand locked around his neck, shouting frantically inside his mind at the Grimoire.

  Ryan made up his mind that it was safer and more precise to let the Grimoire control the timing for activating the Invincible Defense Magic Card.

  After all, it would just cost a bit more Origin Value. Saving his life was what mattered most.

  【I have already silently activated the Danger Emergency Mode for you! Since you voluntarily spoke, the fee will be deducted: 10,000 Origin Value.】

  "Tell us!" Maelira's anger threatened to burst through the ceiling.

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  Her grip on Ryan's neck tightened further, making his face flush bright red and his breathing grow labored.

  "Maelira! Let him go! How is he supposed to speak to you if you're choking him?" Mora said.

  She really couldn't understand how Maelira could be so blinded by anger, failing to see such a simple truth.

  Maelira froze for a moment, then looked down at Ryan, whose face was red, gasping and unable to speak. Only then did she belatedly loosen her grip.

  Ryan collapsed to the ground, wincing in pain.

  Maelira finally realized that her anger had clouded her judgment.

  Among the three of them, she was usually the one most involved in assisting Evelyn with academy affairs, so she had the most contact with Evelyn and the deepest feelings for her.

  Seeing Evelyn, pure as sacred ice, being sullied by such a bold little brat, how could she not be furious?

  Just moments ago, she had almost lost control and nearly struck him down on the spot.

  Ryan lay on the ground, clutching his sore neck and gasping for air. Luckily, it seemed the three old women had no intention of killing him… for now.

  As he pushed himself up, Maelira's figure blurred, her fingertips glowing with sharp magical energy. In an instant, she tapped a few key nodes of his magic around his body.

  Ryan immediately felt several currents of magic surge into him, wrapping his magical core like chains.

  His magic was instantly sealed, leaving him able to rely only on his physical strength, unable to cast even the most basic spell.

  "Grand Elder, what exactly did I do wrong?" Ryan asked, his voice hoarse.

  Being forcibly restrained with a magic sealing technique was excruciating, as if all the meridians of his magic were blocked.

  The moment her magic touched his core, a piercing pain shot through him, like being jabbed by a red-hot iron rod.

  Before Maelira could speak, Elara's furious voice rang from behind her:

  "How dare you even ask! You manipulated the Headmistress, violated the Academy's rules, and committed the act knowingly, making your crime even worse!"

  "Speak! What despicable method did you use to confuse the Headmistress?"

  "I admit to violating the rules, but when did I ever manipulate the Headmistress?" Ryan felt a surge of grievance, unable to hold back a rebuttal.

  In matters of romance, he had never relied on deceitful methods to manipulate minds. Everything he did came from sincerity, relying on his own abilities.

  "See for yourself!" Elara raised her hand, and a beam of magical light condensed in her palm.

  The moment magic surged in Elara's palm, Ryan felt a powerful pulling force crash over him, and his entire body was instantly yanked against the wall.

  It was as if invisible shackles had nailed him there, locking down his limbs and bones so completely that he could not move even an inch.

  Watching this, Mora's gaze held a hint of reluctance as she looked toward Elara.

  If they had simply used a recording crystal earlier, she would not have to expend her own magic to extract the memory again. After all, repeatedly extracting the same memory was also a drain on the caster's mental strength.

  Complaints aside, Mora did not hesitate. She immediately closed her eyes, drew her magic deep into her mental space, and began extracting the memory fragment that had filled her with rage.

  Moments later, a blue veil of magical light unfolded above her head, and a three dimensional memory projection slowly emerged.

  The instant Ryan saw the scene, his eyes flew wide open, his pupils shrinking sharply as a storm of shock surged through his mind. Damn it. There was even a recording.

  The image advanced slowly, clearly replaying his intimate moments with Evelyn, followed by the scene of Lyra running over while calling out to them.

  By the time the image gradually faded and merged back into Mora's mental space, Ryan was still pinned to the wall, unable to utter a single word for a long while.

  He had truly never imagined that such an exquisite memory extraction spell existed, capable of materializing what one had seen and heard into a visual scene.

  Having never encountered memory magic before, Ryan had no idea that there was a way to record experiences like this.

  And when the markings of the Fate Bracelets on his and Evelyn's wrists flashed across the image, Ryan instantly understood. It was the Fate Bracelets at work.

  It seemed that Evelyn had indeed not acted of her own will, and an indescribable sense of loss welled up inside him.

  No wonder Evelyn had questioned whether he had used some despicable means. From beginning to end, it had been the Fate Bracelets secretly creating opportunities for them, not Evelyn's genuine acceptance.

  The feeling of believing it was mutual affection and willing consent, only to discover in the end that it was merely the influence of the Fate Bracelets, was unbearably painful.

  It was like the softest place in his heart had been cruelly clenched, leaving him suffocating and unable to breathe.

  What Ryan did not know was that the Fate Bracelets had a core rule. If either party harbored resistance in their heart, the effect would never activate on its own. Evelyn's silence and closed eyes at the time were, at their core, still born of acceptance deep within her heart.

  "And that child! Where is she!" Maelira's eyes were reddened by extreme fury as she stared at Ryan pinned to the wall and demanded sharply.

  Seeing that scene again with her own eyes reignited the flames of rage in her heart, nearly pushing her past restraint.

  Ryan knew that at this point, hiding the truth was pointless. But handing over Lyra was absolutely impossible.

  "She's dead!" Ryan gritted out.

  The word dead instantly sent the three Grand Elders' fury skyrocketing. Their magic surged out of control, nearly causing them to strike him down on the spot.

  Dead? How could she be dead? Elara's hand tightened slightly, and the magic pinning Ryan to the wall intensified at once.

  Ryan's face quickly turned bluish under the crushing pressure of the magic. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his bones let out faint creaking sounds.

  "Are you going to talk or not!" Elara demanded repeatedly, the killing intent in her voice almost taking tangible form. The magic in her hand increased again, as if she were about to crush Ryan's bones in the next instant.

  Ryan roared through the agony of his bones feeling as though they were about to shatter, fury blazing in his eyes.

  "If you've got the guts, then kill me! But if you want me to tell you where she is, that will never happen!"