As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

[Withering of All Things] is an ancient evil cult with the same name as [Evil Dragon Society]. Its main activities are concentrated in the Emerald Council, and they are also the elves' nemesis who are eyeing the bloodline of [Forest Elves].

Andy, the Black Claw encountered in the last practical test, seems to have a close relationship with them.

This was all information Roy already knew, but it wasn't until he spoke with the dean this morning that he discovered Janetia's concealment of the matter of [Death of All Things].

To be precise, it was a secret hidden from Nia.

Roy took out the information handed to him by the dean.

"Master Chief, can the Emerald Council really protect Nia's safety?"

Looking at the records written in black and white on the document, Nia's eyes suddenly widened, while Janetia closed her eyes helplessly after a moment of surprise.

[Cuilin Rangers Dead List] [4.23 Terrorist Attack] [Wanted for All Things Decay] [MP Assassination Case]

These materials were not confidential, and they recorded the struggles with Gentia over the years. However, as the dean had revealed, Nia was unaware of this.

Looking at those shocking words, Nia was surprised and even more shocked: "Mom, you said that [Withering of All Things] is not a threat, but what about these?!"

Facing the silent Gentia, Roy answered for her, "It's clear that the Emerald Council cannot guarantee your safety 100% as the Chief Lord claims."

"Rather, the Emerald Court is more like the center of the storm."

Nia suddenly understood, and was both angry and amused: "If that's the case, then isn't it just right for me to hide in the academy?!"

The security measures of the Magic Academy are not far superior to those of the Emerald Council, but at least they are on par.

Of course, it is not so easy to say which one is safer, but at least the view that "for Nia, the Emerald Council is safer than the Magic Academy" is not valid.

Janetia's excuse was invalid from the beginning!

It’s just that Nia herself has been kept in the dark!

"Mom! You have nothing to say now, right? Just let me stay in the academy!" Nia urged anxiously.

But Roy took a leisurely sip of tactical tea.

It's not that simple.

If negotiations could be successful through reasoning, there would be fewer disputes in the world.

At this point, no matter how calm Janetia was, her face finally relaxed and she sighed deeply.

But then, she still said firmly: "No."

The disguise of calmness was removed, and the woman's face revealed true and uncompromising determination.

"Yes, the Emerald Council isn't completely safe either. But at least we can focus our efforts on protecting you. At least you can stay by my side!"

"But I don't care..."

"But I care!"

Janetia covered her stinging forehead, staring at her own flesh and blood, trembling, but said firmly: "But I care."

"There's nothing in this world that I care about more than your safety! You don't understand at all. There's no mother in this world who would ignore her daughter knowing she's in danger!"

Beneath the seemingly merciless criticism, it actually comes from a mother's love.

But precisely because of this heavy love, even Nia, who was always eloquent, lowered her head, not knowing what to say.

As long as she is still Janetia's daughter, considering the mother-daughter relationship, she will never refuse Janetia.

It's easy to convince a ruler with reason, but it's not enough to convince a woman, a mother.

Especially since Janetia lost her best friend and beloved one because of the cult. Nia is the last person she cherishes in this world. How could she not be worried about her?

But at this moment, Roy slowly spoke to Janetia.

"Master Chief, I understand how you feel."

Janetia immediately frowned and subconsciously wanted to utter sarcastic words.

But when she looked at Roy's sad expression, she couldn't speak after all.

Because she saw a hint of the black-haired girl in her memory in the boy's expression.

"Although we've never met, you, Lord Chief, should know that my bloodline is unique and that I lost my mother to the cult. Not long ago, I was even forced into a hunt by the Evil Dragon Society and nearly lost my life..."

Although Roy has little affection for Rowling, the similar situation of being hunted by a cult makes him feel a little empathy for this predecessor.

Even after defeating the Evil Dragon Society, Roy would still occasionally wake up from nightmares caused by those deformed dragons and the ferocious vertical pupils in the flames.

“But that’s why I’m unwilling to give up.”

Roy looked back at Jantia and asked from the bottom of his heart, "Are we wrong?"

"Is it my mother who is wrong, or am I wrong, is it you who is wrong, or is it Mr. Ain who is wrong?"

When the name of Ain was mentioned, Janetia's face became visibly gloomy, and extraordinary fluctuations surged like a tide, scaring the waiters so much that their faces turned pale.

But Roy ignored the frightening pressure and continued, "Is Nia wrong?"

"She just wanted adventure, freedom, and the life experience that every girl should have."

"No, we are both right! The cult is wrong!"

At this point, Roy no longer needed to feign empathy with Jantia. Instead, he spoke out his frustration from the bottom of his heart: "Why should we sacrifice everything for this and bow down to those truly heinous bastards?"

At this moment, the appearance of the black-haired boy reflected in Janetia's eyes almost overlapped with the figure of her old friend.

Although their temperaments are different, the determination and courage in their dark eyes are so similar.

"Master Chief, even if you leave Nia in the Emerald Council and sacrifice her freedom, how long can you protect her from the endless pursuit of [All Things Withering]?"

Janetia thought thoughtfully: "You mean, let Nia stay in the academy and gain experience and growth until she can protect herself?"

The young man smiled slightly and said in a strong voice, "No, I mean, until she can stand alone and completely eradicate [Withering of All Things]!"

Chapter 94: Face to face

Since the First Age, the Elves and their descendants have been fighting against the [Withering of All Things] of the Mother Tree of Faith.

This is both a noble mission and a hateful curse.

For thousands of years, countless of our kind have lost their lives in the fight against the "Withering of All Things", and even Janetia's beloved was sacrificed.

It seems impossible to completely eradicate [Death of All Things].

But Janetia saw determination in the eyes of the young man in front of her, as well as a small but hard-to-ignore possibility.

Not only Roy, but as a mother she also understands Nia's talent.

Even among the extraordinary people who inherited the [Forest Elves] throughout the ages, Nia was always the best one, even surpassing Ain Violet who was hailed as a genius back then.

If it were the two of them, perhaps they could really do it—

The flame of hope had been lit, but at the same time, the scene of her beloved and best friend bidding farewell eighteen years ago deeply hurt her heart and almost extinguished her courage and hope.

Janetia moved her lips with difficulty: "No, no matter how beautiful you say it..."

Nia couldn't help but say, "Mom, I didn't know that the Green Council's secret struggle with the Withering of All Things was so fierce.

Didn't you always say that as a descendant of the elves, you have to take responsibility? Rather than just guarding the Green Council with nothing, you should strive to become stronger and fight the cultists to the death to live up to your elven bloodline, right?!"

The girl's words were rare and genuine, and her eyes shone with the same determination not to succumb to the cult.

At this moment, Roy asked one last time, "Master Chief, on one hand, you have to sacrifice your daughter's freedom, bow to the cult, and wait for endless attacks. On the other hand, you have to believe that she is worthy of the bloodline of the Forest Elves and completely end this unreasonable fate..."

"We have made our choice. Now, it's your turn."

Being a mother is sometimes very cowardly, so cowardly that even though you are in a high position, you are still immersed in the fear of losing your daughter and cannot extricate yourself.

But in the same way, a mother will only muster up the courage for her daughter.

Fear and courage, worry and hope, two complicated thoughts entangled with each other in Janetia's heart, but when she looked at the boy's determined eyes and the hand that she held tightly without realizing it, Janetia finally made a choice.

Eighteen years ago, she was too weak to catch up with those two people, leaving behind only grief and regret.

But now, she doesn't want to repeat the same mistake.

After a silence that seemed like a century, Janetia finally sighed deeply and smiled helplessly, "I agree."

"So... eh? You agreed?" Nia said halfway before she realized what was happening and her eyes widened.

"Yes, I promised."

After getting the second confirmation, Roy finally breathed a sigh of relief, and Nia was overjoyed. She grabbed Roy's hand and jumped up on the spot.

"Roy! Did you hear that? I can stay at the academy!"

Although Nia was determined to fight to the end, she didn't expect her mother to agree so quickly.

Nia was so excited that she subconsciously opened her arms and wanted to hug the boy beside her tightly. However, after noticing her mother's slightly playful gaze, she immediately lost her courage and let go after hugging him for a while.

Looking at the smile that bloomed again on Nia's face, Roy breathed a sigh of relief and felt warm in his heart.

Fortunately, he won the bet.

The best outcome is to allow Nia to stay in the academy while allowing mother and daughter to reach a consensus without destroying their relationship.

But at this moment, Janetia became serious again: "Don't be happy too soon."

"I've said it before, no matter how beautiful your words are, they're useless. Cultists can't be defeated with words."

"If you want me to believe you, you have to produce results."

"Ain and Rowling were both geniuses back then, but even so, they couldn't completely eradicate the cultists. Why should I believe you can do it?"

"Ah, this..." The boy, who had a basin of cold water poured on his head, immediately froze in expression.

But Roy understood, his eyes flashing: "So you want Nia to be alone."

"Yes." Jantia paused, then stared at Roy and said meaningfully: "Not only her, but you too."

"Huh?" Now it was Roy's turn to be confused.

"Your bloodline, like the Forest Elves, is hostile to the cultists. You and Nia are natural allies."

After hearing what the other party said, Roy finally came to his senses.

If you think about it carefully, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the descendants of elves are definitely allies that can be won over.

But why does this guy seem to emphasize the "alliance" relationship between himself and Nia?

Janetia narrowed her cold eyes and said quietly, "You said so many nice things just now. You won't back down now and leave Nia to face it alone, right?"

Nia on the side didn't say anything, but looked over with wide eyes, anxiously and expectantly waiting for Roy's answer.

Gentia hasn't explained how she's going to prove their potential, but it probably won't be that simple.

However, he and Nia have come this far, how could he abandon her at this time?

But just as Roy was about to respond, the panel sounded a warning.

[Warning! A fate intersection with Nightingale has been detected, triggering a destiny-defying mission. Every choice you make will change your fate, so choose carefully!]

[Current Fate-Defying Node Nightingale]

[Nightingale's Fate-Defying Progress]: 20%

Seeing Roy fall silent, Janetia couldn't help but frown slightly.

Under the table, the jade hand holding the young man began to tremble slowly.

The fate-defying node seems to be an inevitable node for a "villain". Once involved, it will bring huge risks.

If possible, Roy wanted to keep a distance from the heroine in the original work and avoid the fate-defying nodes as much as possible.

But so what?

This lingering thing keeps coming back to haunt me again and again, and I've almost reached the end of my patience.

There was no doubt that the words Roy had used to persuade Janetia came from his heart.

Whether it's a villain or the blood of a false king, since I can't escape it, I might as well face my fate and be myself completely!

Under the table, Roy clenched his trembling hand tightly, then met Janetia's scrutinizing gaze and smiled calmly.

"Master Chief, you're worrying too much. Please feel free to make your request. I assure you that Nia and I will definitely exceed your expectations."

After a brief moment of surprise, Janetia couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth slightly.

Under the calm appearance, there is such an arrogant kid. He is indeed Rowling's child.

"In that case, let's win the Blue Trial of the Magic Academy."