I love time travel the most!

An hour has passed since he stepped onto the stage. According to the rules, Xiaolin has completed his duties, and the referees from the enforcement department have also acknowledged this. Therefore, he can go back to his dormitory to rest.

However, Kobayashi did not go back, but instead went to the outside of the girls' dormitory.

Downstairs, Frey had been waiting for quite some time.

"Is Anriette alright?"

"I'm already asleep."

"Okay, Frey, you can go to the venue after that. You can act according to my instructions in an hour."

"Ah."

Frey nodded and led her dozen or so wolfhounds toward the night party venue.

An alibi is already in place.

Next…

"Liu Zi, I'm counting on you."

"Did Lord Kobayashi finally decide to launch a night raid? Breaking into the girls' dormitory and even trying to kidnap that underage girl, it's really unbearable to watch."

"How could I possibly harm Anri? Even if it were a night raid, it would only be against you, Liu Zi."

"Yes, yes."

Liu Zi's cheeks flushed slightly, seemingly concerned about what Xiao Lin had mentioned about night raids. Despite their passionate encounters every night, she was still a little shy.

Then Liu Zi paused, and when she reappeared, she was carrying a girl in pajamas on her back.

Under the cover of night, the two quietly took Anriette away, and no one knew it.

...except for Cedric.

In the Speaker's office of the Executive Department, the young man, who was the owner of the room, was elegantly drinking black tea.

There were two other figures inside.

One is Singer, the automaton butler who once launched a sneak attack from the cave, and the other is Charlotte, who is holding the steel dragon.

Charlotte glared fiercely at Cedric above her.

She heard all this news from the other person: her younger sister was caught in the crossfire, fell into a pit and her life was unknown, she was rescued by Xiaolin, and she was so frightened that she fell into a coma. Moreover, every time she told her this, the other person deliberately provoked and teased her, and wouldn't let her go out when she was anxious.

Even now.

"Less than twenty hours remain. Charles, your time is running out."

"But you won't let me go out!"

"That's because... um?"

The boy's wicked smile suddenly vanished, and he solemnly took out the crystal ball from his pocket, as if he had received some kind of notification from elsewhere.

He stared at the crystal ball.

Then, he burst into laughter.

"Things are getting interesting! Anriette has actually been kidnapped by the [Goddess Spokesperson]!"

In an instant, a chuckle came from inside the room.

It's Charlotte.

She covered her mouth with her hand, desperately trying to suppress her laughter. How could she not laugh when she finally saw the person in front of her humiliated?

"Oh? Ciel, what's so funny?"

"You've ended up like this because you treated everyone else like idiots. How does it feel to be tricked by someone you looked down on?"

"They really know how to change their tune quickly. Is that backside that Felix used to pamper now going to be offered up to those Japanese monkeys?"

In terms of sharp tongue alone, Alice could easily outshine Charlotte.

The inexperienced young girl could only blush and glare fiercely at the person who had humiliated her.

"What's wrong? Why is your face so red? There's nothing to be ashamed of now, is there? Weren't you meowing like a cat in front of Felix?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

The girl was furious because her self-esteem had been hurt.

The boy looked surprised and said, "I didn't expect you to be inexperienced... In that case, how about I strip you naked and throw you into the street full of thugs? That would probably be quite interesting."

Charlotte paused for a moment, the anger in her eyes dissipating.

"...Whatever makes you happy."

She coldly uttered those words, as if she didn't want to speak to the other person anymore. Her attitude suggested that there was no point in being angry with them.

The boy did not seem upset about it.

She went even further, saying, "I feel sorry for you, Charles. Once a renowned count, now you're nowhere to be seen. Your father has fled to some unknown continent, and even your mother wants to sell her own daughter... Oh, didn't I tell you? I actually protected Henrietta from being sold into a brothel."

"—Liar!" Charlotte vehemently denied. "Even if Mother starved to death herself, she would never sell Anri to a place like that!"

"But that's just how cruel the truth is. Oh—it's such a touching display of sisterly love."

Cedric shrugged, indicating that he had not lied about the matter.

"But then again, if we were to leave her... Enriette to some thugs for their amusement, I wonder what kind of expression Miss Tyrannosaurus would make?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a magical flame rose into the room.

Charlotte's entire body erupted with bluish-white flames, and the steel dragon in her arms released black mist. Even those who weren't magicians could see her anger with the naked eye.

"If you dare do anything to Anli, I'll kill your whole family...!"

Snapped--

Before she could finish her harsh words, she was slapped across the face, causing her to fall to the floor.

The sudden scene made the boy slowly turn his head to look at his automaton.

The butler bowed deeply: "Please forgive my overstepping, but I cannot let anyone who behaves disrespectfully towards the young master go unpunished, even if it is the result of the young master's corrupt character and twisted personality."

A typical villain theory.

With such a loyal subordinate, the young man naturally had no reason to punish him.

"However, we can't just ignore the kidnapped Henrietta."

"Should I have my subordinates handle this?"

"Since they've made their move, we can't just ignore it. I'll leave it to you to handle."

What should be done about that man?

“Killing him is fine, but bring his head back as a gift for our Miss Tyrannosaurus.”

"As commanded.

The butler bowed to accept the task and then left.

Seeing how easily the master and servant decided a person's life or death, Charlotte stroked her beaten cheek, biting her lower lip as if she wanted to draw blood, her shoulders trembling, and tears of resentment streamed down her face.

That's how they always are.

She stirred up the sisters' feelings, then ruthlessly sabotaged them, and even tried to poison the people around her.

Seeing her like this, the boy asked curiously, "You seem to have something to say, Ciel."

"What...what are you up to?"

"You want to know why I bully you sisters, right? It's simple, because it's fun."

"——?!!"

"Besides, bullying you can also help Felix get revenge. After all, the two of us—Cedric and Felix—are not only cousins, but also close friends."

"You're lying! You're not Cedric at all!"

"Oh? Is it really okay to say that to his face?"

"It's obvious without even thinking, since you can use transformation magic, you're definitely not the real person—"

A surge of fear made Charlotte's voice tremble. Faced with this enemy whose strength she couldn't figure out, the girl felt she was on the verge of collapse.

Her voice trembled as she asked, "Who...are you?"

"I am a shadow." The boy smiled slightly, as if singing with great joy, and said, "I am a shadow without a physical form."

the other side.

During the butler's pursuit, Kobayashi also carried Anri, who was wearing pajamas, and ran through the deep forest at night. If others saw this, they would definitely think he was a kidnapper.

The girl was screaming and calling for help.

"No... I'm going to be grabbed by a savage man... and have all sorts of things done to me!"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand. I'm saving you."

"help me?"

Anli blinked.

Although they didn't understand the situation, they eventually gave up the futile struggle.

Thanks to her stopping moving around, Xiaolin's speed improved significantly, and she finally arrived at a spacious, deserted lawn around 9 p.m.

"Well, it's right here."

Kobayashi put Anri down.

The girl has been through a lot of jostling, so let her rest a bit before the final battle begins.

"that……"

Sitting on the lawn, Anli temporarily ignored the coldness beneath her and asked tremblingly, "What exactly does Xiaolin mean? Please explain it clearly."

It seems I need to tell her the truth to get her to cooperate.

"Simply put, we're using you as bait to catch fish."

"fishing……?"

“That’s right. Charlotte acted so recklessly because you were taken hostage, so she had to rescue you from them. But simply rescuing you wouldn’t change the situation, so she had to take advantage of their carelessness to expose the mastermind. Do you understand?”