A dinner that left Lin Luo and Evangeline deeply disheartened. Why Western food? Lin Luo truly couldn't fathom it. Not only was it cumbersome, requiring both knife and fork—what if he accidentally poked his little friend? Even if he missed the friend, poking the greenery was no good, and cutting one's mouth while eating would be agonizingly painful.

As for the food itself, the steak was barely cooked, almost impossible to swallow. The red wine wasn't bad, but that was just on appearance; when it came to drinking, he preferred meizhi... wait, no, plain boiled water was better.

Evangeline was equally perplexed. Which wire in her brain had crossed to agree to eat Western food with this guy? Even if one didn't know how to use cutlery, couldn't one learn easily just by observing their own movements for a moment? He was clearly cunning in other matters, so why did he act like an idiot in something like this? Simply looking at him made her furious!

During the meal, Lin Luo briefly outlined his immediate plans to Evangeline. Of course, he omitted anything about the Creator; the fact that Evangeline had become a True Ancestor vampire was something she herself was unaware of, being created by the Maker.

Lin Luo didn't feel like bringing it up now; there would be time enough once they reached the magical world. As for Chao Lingyin’s plan, Lin Luo wasn't interested in interfering, and neither was Evangeline. To her, what became of this world was irrelevant; whether it remained an everyday world or became a magical one made no difference.

After dinner, Evangeline handed the Tome of Origins over to Lin Luo. The magic she needed to learn had already been imprinted in her mind, so the book itself no longer mattered.

Speaking of Evangeline's ancient magic, she seemed to have made some progress recently. Of course, mastering it was still a distant prospect, but she had at least brushed against the threshold, ensuring she wouldn't again suffer the embarrassment of her magic power being instantly depleted.

The anti-space ability she had used during the fight with the Handmaid Commander stemmed from this development. She had contemplated that technique long ago but could never properly practice it. This time, borrowing strength from that boundary magic, she had unexpectedly succeeded, marking an accidental breakthrough.

Afterward, Evangeline retired to her room to rest, while Lin Luo descended to the lowest level of the castle, locking himself in an almost completely sealed room to analyze the rules of the world and study the ancient magic within the Tome of Origins.

Time trickled by, and in a blink, seven days had passed within the Time House.

In a room somewhere within the castle, Evangeline lay sprawled naked on a sofa, frantically mashing buttons on a remote control. Opposite her, a massive game screen displayed a mighty man wielding an automatic rifle against surrounding enemies, occasionally taking a moment to shoot down an aircraft.

If Lin Luo were present, he wouldn't be unfamiliar with this game: the classic standalone title—Contra.

"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!" Evangeline muttered incessantly while hammering the remote, clearly engrossed in the game.

"Master." Just then, the door to the room opened, and the female servant robot, bearing a resemblance to Chachamaru, entered.

"What is it?" Evangeline asked without turning her head.

"Teacher Negi requires your presence."

"That little brat?" Evangeline paused slightly, but then quickly realized the timing of Negi’s request. With a light laugh, she rose from the sofa, dressed herself under the servant’s assistance, and walked out.

Stepping onto the open ground outside the castle, Evangeline found that Negi wasn't the only one waiting; Asuna, Nagase Kaede, Kofuu, and others were also present. Of all the students who had entered this Time House, nearly everyone was there except for Konoka and Mikoto.

"Ghosts, what business do you have seeking me?" Evangeline approached, asking calmly.

"Evangeline-san!" Seeing her emerge, Negi rushed forward, anxiously inquiring, "Um, where is Master?"

"Oh, you're looking for him. He isn't here," Evangeline replied faintly, then her gaze swept over the group, and she smiled, "It seems you've run into some serious trouble. Is this about Chao Lingyin?"

"Evangeline-san knows?!" Everyone present was greatly surprised.

Evangeline stated loftily, "Of course. How could Chao's intentions be hidden from me? But don't even think about asking for my help; I won't be stepping in."

Negi and the others knew that asking Evangeline for help was clearly impossible; they hadn't truly expected it from the start. The person they really wanted to see was Lin Luo.

They weren't entirely clear on the full scope of Chao Lingyin's plan and goals, but they were certain that her actions needed to be stopped.

They had encountered Chao Lingyin before. Even combining their strength against her alone offered no chance of victory. Although they had devised a small plan, she wasn't alone either; the appearance of Ryuguji Mana and Chachamaru was a major blow, and with the three of them working together, the students were severely disadvantaged. Ultimately, if not for the "farewell party" organized by the other students to force a truce, they might have been utterly defeated.

Thus, they desperately needed reinforcements. After all, as a magic teacher at Mahora Academy, Lin Luo had a duty, and given the current situation, lacking a top-tier fighter to anchor them against Chao Lingyin meant they had no chance of success.

"Looking for him is also out of the question. He is currently cultivating and has no time to deal with the trivial matters of you brats."

"Cultivating? But at a time like this..."

"Well, with your current strength, dealing with Chao Lingyin is indeed unlikely. Oh, right..." Evangeline's eyes suddenly lit up, and she smiled, "Let me leak a little information for you. If you were to be defeated instantly, this game would be rather boring. A close match is much more entertaining."

Then, while Negi was still stunned, Evangeline whispered a few sentences to him. Negi’s face shifted between shock and elation. "Is that true, Evangeline-san?"

"Of course. I have no reason to lie to you. Work hard; perhaps you really can stop Chao Lingyin, though the chances are slim," Evangeline finished, waved goodbye to the group, and turned back toward the castle. "That's all I have to say. I need to get back to my game. Farewell."

Afterward, Negi relayed the hint Evangeline gave him to the others, letting them know that even if they were weaker, there was still a chance for victory. This restored a bit of confidence to the group. Since the final confrontation with Chao Lingyin was set for the next afternoon—at the moment the World Tree's magic reached its peak—they decided to train within the Time House for a while to boost their power, as much as they could manage.

And so, the Time House once again became lively. Of course, this had little to do with Evangeline or Lin Luo. Since Lin Luo was in seclusion, Evangeline lacked a source for draining magic, making it impossible to practice her ancient arts lest she deplete her own power. Thus, she occupied herself solely with video games while Lin Luo remained undisturbed.

...Mahora Academy.

Mikoto and Konoka walked together. Since both were hosts of the World Heart, their relationship was relatively amicable. Although Konoka represented a potential rival to Mikoto, her easygoing and relaxed nature made their time together quite pleasant. Occasionally, the unintentional darkness she displayed reminded Mikoto somewhat of Hatsune.

"Mikoto-chan, there's a performance over there, shall we go watch?"

"Mm. Say, aren't you going to hang out with Setsuna?"

"Little Setsuna is busy with something; I shouldn't bother her."

"I see. I have a feeling something big is about to happen."

The two chatted happily and were soon swallowed by the evening festival crowd.

Meanwhile, Suigintou was likely receiving the most sublime "adoration" in history. Her height and cute appearance were absolutely moe to a significant portion of the female students, who practically fought over her. Especially at the stall, the rather nonsensical girls of the third year adorned her with all sorts of elaborate fashions. Although Suigintou appeared slightly displeased outwardly, a hint of happiness flickered in her eyes; being this popular was a first for her.

Even though these admirers were merely lower-class humans, since they were students of Father... well, they ranked at the 'Human+' level, which was acceptable.

"Boss, give me ten more baskets of soup dumplings!" Sitting alone at a table in Chao Baozi Shop, she devoured the food before her. Seven or eighty baskets were already on the table, but she was still unsatisfied, demanding more.

Thanks to Lin Luo's promise to Chao Lingyin earlier, she had also benefited, becoming a favored guest at Chao Baozi Shop. Since Chao Lingyin had spoken, she could eat the buns for free, as much as she wanted.

As soon as she finished speaking, the waiter brought another ten baskets. She immediately opened them, quickly snatched one, and shoved it into her mouth.

Around her, many people sat or stood. Although they were already full, none had left, curious to see how many the little creature could eat before stopping.

"By the way, why doesn't anyone find her body shape strange?" Hagakure Shū said, exasperated by the scene before him.

"Because the students at Mahora lack common sense," Yotsuba Satsuki chuckled.

Time flowed steadily, both in the Mahora timeline and within the Time House. Soon, the school festival reached its final day, and Chao Lingyin's plan was set to launch... in just one hour!

The final battle was about to begin. Would it be spectacular, or would it be...? A