"Ah, this is some good tea. This really hits the spot. Maybe I should stay here a little longer just to enjoy this tea."

Collin gave Madam Yao a suspicious look, but he did not say anything rude to her directly. Since she was a guest, he gave her a polite bow and cheerfully explained the origins of the tea.

"This is a special blend my young master likes, so we keep a lot of it in stock. However, I am afraid this tea is a one-time treat for rare guests."

It was the head butler’s way of telling Madam Yao that she was not welcome to stay long-term and should not expect this level of hospitality from him again.

Most people would have turned red-faced and stormed out after such open hostility, but Madam Yao was not most people.

Instead of getting angry, she laughed softly at Collin’s words and gave him an amused look.

"I see. That’s rather kind of you, sir. I will cherish the tea you served me."

An awkward silence followed her declaration as both sides held back what they truly wanted to say.

In the end, Collin was the first to break the silence.

"Madam, is it true that you can see the future? Then the death you saw...are you certain it is going to be Miss Serena?"

Collin was not visibly worried, but something about this situation unsettled him. He had a bad feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

Madam Yao set down her teacup and gave the butler a cold look before sighing.

"Honestly, I do not even know exactly what is going to happen. The reason I concluded that Serena is the one who will die is because the silhouette in my vision matches hers, and I hear many voices crying out in grief. However, I never actually see her getting stabbed. I only know that she is involved."

Those words were true.

Had Madam Yao been a better person, she would never have brought Serena to Rin or pushed her into the group. She would have tried to change the future by changing her actions.

But she did not.

And there was only one reason for that.

She had seen Alex’s core break apart and witnessed him being reborn as a guardian.

And if a death was necessary to make that happen, then Madam Yao was willing to pay that price.

"Madam, I hope you know what you are doing. I am only willing to tolerate you because my young master asked me to. But the day you betray our trust, everything will be over for you."

The butler’s words sounded like a threat, but there was no need for him to say them.

Madam Yao already knew her own future without needing to look into it.

One day, she would die at the hands of those she had used.

But it was a death she would welcome with open arms.

Just not before she uncovered the truth behind the apocalypse. And her instincts told her that staying beside Rin was the fastest way to uncover that truth.

There was...something about him that did not belong in this world.

And yet, no one else seemed to notice it.

Madam Yao closed her eyes as she recalled the vision she had seen. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She saw Alex’s core burst apart, followed by the divine creature losing control. It attacked someone, and Serena blocked the strike. Everything seemed fine for a moment— and then someone was impaled.

There was screaming everywhere, and then—

"D-Dead..."

That was where the vision ended.

With someone’s death.

"I told them that Rin, Albus, and Shelly’s futures were guaranteed, but even I cannot be certain that is true. I only hope they forgive me for that lie."

__________

"Shelly, are you alright—?"

"Don’t worry about me. Just keep running."

At that moment, Rin and Shelly were racing toward the volcano’s opening so they could throw Alex’s core inside. They were still far enough away that Rin did not feel comfortable tossing it in from his current position.

But Shelly had already been injured in the arm while clearing a path for him.

Rin wanted to help her as much as he could, but with his main objective being to keep moving forward, it was difficult to stop and fight properly.

Shelly knew that too, which was why she told him to ignore her injury and keep running.

Rin had a choice to make, and choosing Shelly was easy.

He immediately turned back toward her—

only for a monster to grab the back of his shirt and yank him in the opposite direction.

"Darn it—! Rin—!"

Shelly noticed instantly. She swiftly disposed of the monster she had been fighting and rushed toward him.

Rin managed to stab the claw dragging him, forcing the creature to release him. He landed back on his feet and immediately threw a bomb behind Shelly to help clear the monsters surrounding her.

Shelly managed to reach him, but more and more monsters began closing the distance between them.

"Darn it! Move out of the way—!"

Shelly shouted as she unleashed her power. But there were simply too many monsters.

Just as she was about to use the full extent of her abilities, Serena suddenly rushed in and wiped out an entire wave of monsters.

"Stop wasting time and keep running!"

She yelled at Rin, and he gritted his teeth before turning and sprinting toward the summit.

The monsters chased after him, but the others quickly cut them down before they could get close enough to catch him.

Finally, Rin reached the top of the volcano, and the heat made his heart pound wildly in his chest.

The temperature was so intense he could barely keep his eyes open.

Without hesitation, he threw the core into the volcano before immediately turning to run back.

[You have thrown a monster core into the volcano. The Divine Guardian’s hatching will now begin.]

[The volcano will now become active.]

"Darn it! You never told us about this. What the hell, system?!"

Rin shouted as the volcano suddenly erupted, spewing massive balls of lava into the air. The monsters were hit first, but that did not mean everyone else was safe.

"Everyone, run back! We need to move!"

Rin yelled, and both Shelly and Albus immediately obeyed. Serena was slower because she was still occupied with the monsters, so Rin ran toward her to help.

He reached her in time and used his bombs to clear a path for her escape.

But just as he was about to retreat— he felt an overwhelming presence behind them.

Every instinct told him not to turn around.

But Rin reflexively looked back anyway— only to see Serena blocking a massive set of claws with her sword.