We arrived at a small forested hill not far from the academy. It was the place I had once come to with Professor Baldwin, when we descended into the great underground ruins beneath the academy, known as the Abyss.

But today, our investigation had nothing to do with those ruins. Our destination was the vast forest near the Abyss’s entrance, a C-rank danger zone often used as a training ground for cadets to gain real combat experience.

After hearing everything about Laneige, Professor Baldwin stroked her chin and nodded slowly. “Hm. To sum up your story, Dale. You’re saying that thanks to your—shall we say, indulgent entanglements with women—you managed to prevent a catastrophic disaster from happening in the future?”

She had omitted several details, but yes, that was basically correct. If we looked at only the outcome, it was true that my so-called two-timing had helped calm Laneige’s rampage.

She continued, “Hahaha! Well, well. I suppose that’s a very you-like solution, isn’t it?”

“Me-kind of solution, really?”

Just what sort of person was I in her mind?

“In any case, you’ve changed the future once again. And this time, you prevented one where half the continent was frozen solid.”

“If we’re only talking about results, then yes.”

Professor Baldwin narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone turning quiet. “However, it’s still too early to tell whether this change will truly lead to something better.”

“Even so, it has to be better than my previous life.”

After all, what kind of future could be worse than one where half the continent was buried under ice and millions perished?

“Well, I’m not so sure about that,” replied Professor Baldwin.

“You’re not?”

She shook her head gently. “If I recall correctly, in your previous life, Laneige became a calamity even for the demons, didn’t she?”

“That’s right.”

The power of the Blessing of Frost was so overwhelming that she slaughtered friend and foe alike, indiscriminately.

“Then wouldn’t it also mean that her not joining the demons this time might actually be good news for them?”

I blinked in surprise. “What?”

Could Laneige’s change benefit the demons?

“I hadn’t thought of that,” I said.

It was true. In my previous life, Laneige had nearly ruined the demons’ grand plan to free their Demon God. Had Yuren, I, and countless other heroes not managed to kill her, perhaps that god would never have been released at all. Though in that case, maybe not just half, but the entire continent would’ve frozen.

The Demon God’s release or the Witch’s survival, which outcome was truly worse? It was impossible to say. But one thing was clear. If the Demon God had never been freed, humanity would not have been annihilated. In comparison, in the endless blizzards, perhaps ninety-nine percent of humanity would still have perished, but maybe, just maybe, the remaining one percent would have survived the cold.

This meant that killing Laneige in my past life could very well have been what led to the complete destruction of humanity.

My thoughts tangled into a storm of confusion.

Professor Baldwin’s hand came to rest on my back in a comforting gesture. “There’s no need to blame yourself, Dale. Even if humanity survived because of that, what kind of life would that have been? Shivering and starving in endless snow? Can you truly call that living?”

“That’s...”

“Having a pulse doesn’t mean one is truly alive, does it? You, more than anyone, should know that.”

Her words summoned memories I had long tried to bury, back to the time after humanity’s extinction, when I alone remained. I had wandered through the infinite snowfields, crying out to the empty sky in despair. For me, life had become the cruelest curse of all.

“Yes. I know. All too well.”

It was not about being alive; rather, it was about how you lived. By that measure, killing Laneige hadn’t been the wrong decision.

Professor Baldwin asked, “By the way, I do wonder who it was, in your past life, that convinced Laneige to side with the demons. Did they not realize how uncontrollable she was?”

“No, I’m sure they did.”

Whoever drew Laneige to their side had definitely known she couldn’t control her power. Since they knew that, why recruit her at all?

In my previous life, no one had ever discovered who had pulled Laneige to the demons’ side. But if they did it knowing she would be a catastrophe even for them, then there was definitely a reason for that. The questions spiraled endlessly, one after another, yet no clear answer came to mind.

While I was lost in thought, Professor Baldwin gave a small sigh and a crooked smile. “Seems I’ve said something unnecessary.”

With the same hand that had been patting my back, she lightly pinched my cheek. “There’s no need to overthink it. Just because you’ve seen the future doesn’t mean you understand everything in the world, does it?”

“Well, that’s true, but still...”

“Honestly, what concerns me more is that you’re currently dating two women at the same time.”

I flinched. Of course, she knew. She had always been sharper than she let on. And I knew, too, that her feelings for me went far beyond those of a teacher toward her student. Telling her, face-to-face, “Yes, I’m seeing two women at once,” wasn’t exactly easy.

“Your partners are Iris and Yurina, correct?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“I see. I thought as much.”

Arms crossed, she looked at me with a calm expression, but I could see the faint trembling at the corner of her eyes, betraying what she really felt.

She murmured, “Two, huh. So, two women.”

Then a faint smile appeared on her face. “Well, I suppose I can understand how Laneige must have felt now.”

I was speechless.

“Heh. Don’t worry, I’m not planning to make things difficult for you, Dale.”

But then, for the first time, Professor Baldwin’s expression seemed just a little uncertain, almost vulnerable. “Just. Don’t forget me, either.”

Why did my heart start pounding like this? Watching her fidget and avert her eyes, I felt a strange surge inside me.

Whether she noticed or not, Professor Baldwin gently covered the scar near her left eye with her hand and said in a quiet, defeated voice, “Of course, I know I’m not young like the other cadets you’re seeing, nor as beautiful. I’m not even sure I have any feminine charm left, but still...”

She took a shaky breath. “I’d like to think that, at least when it comes to how deeply I care for you, I’m second to none...”

Her words made my already racing heart beat even harder. I barely managed to steady my breath before replying, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree with that.”

“Disagree?”

“I actually think you’re gorgeous, Professor Baldwin. You’re charming too, very much so, as a woman. And as for age, well, if we’re counting the years I’ve lived, I’m the older one here, aren’t I?”

Her eyes quivered. She fought to keep the corners of her mouth from curling up, forcing down a smile as she cleared her throat with an awkward cough. “You do have a talent for tormenting women, Dale.”

“Wait, what did I even do?”

“Fufu! Nothing, forget it. Anyway, we’ve wasted enough time. Let’s resume the investigation.”

Professor Baldwin strode ahead, her steps light and almost cheerful. She looked like she could start dancing at any moment. I let out a quiet sigh and followed behind her.

We made our way through the forest until we arrived at the spot where the cadets had reported encountering a ten-eyed demonic monster.

Professor Baldwin’s violet eyes gleamed as she scanned the area. “There’s no doubt about it. There are traces of a demonic monster.”

“A ten-eyed one?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. That much, I can’t tell yet.”

She knelt to inspect the claw marks gouged into the ground. At that moment, a low, guttural growl echoed faintly through the trees, and our eyes met.

“Professor,” I said.

“It seems... we’ve wandered right into its territory.”

We both turned toward the sound. Through the brush emerged a massive black wolf. Its entire body was covered in sharp spines like a porcupine, and every breath it exhaled shimmered with blue fire. However, the number of eyes it had was different from what we were looking for.

I muttered, “Eight eyes, huh. It’s an eight-eyed demonic monster.”

“Just as I thought. The cadets must have exaggerated what they saw.”

While it was leagues below a true ten-eyed demonic monster, an eight-eyed demonic monster still wasn’t something ordinary cadets could handle, unless they were as exceptional as Aaron’s team.

“I’ll handle it,” I said, stepping forward.

Professor Baldwin said firmly. “No. I will.”

She moved to block me. I gave her a questioning look, and she clicked her tongue.

“If you fight it, there’ll be nothing left but ashes. For the investigation’s sake, we need it alive,” she explained.

She had a fair point. If the goal was capture, her skills were far better suited since her webs were designed for restraint, not destruction.

The wolf lunged toward her with a thunderous roar. Professor Baldwin spread her arms wide, and thin, translucent webs shot from her gloved fingertips, ensnaring the charging monster mid-stride.

It thrashed violently. “Grrk? Grrrk!”

The barbed spikes covering its body sliced through the sticky strands. Breaking free, it howled triumphantly and closed the distance in a blink.

Professor Baldwin smirked as the wolf loomed over her. “Oh, quite the strong one for an eight-eyed monster.”

She clenched her fist, coating it with threads of glimmering web, and stepped forward with fierce precision.

Then she whispered, “Bind.”

The incantation was followed by a crushing blow to the demonic monster’s face.

“Kyiiiing?”

The massive wolf tumbled backward, yelping in pain.

Without missing a beat, Professor Baldwin climbed onto its chest and brought her fists down like a hammer.

Thud! Thud! Crack!

Blood splattered everywhere. Broken teeth and torn flesh flew with each punch.

I stared at the brutal scene and let out a silly laugh. “Uh, Professor? You said you were going to capture it alive, right?”

Because it didn’t look like that anymore.

“Ah, I may have gotten a bit carried away.”

The wolf whimpered weakly, blood dripping from its mouth. It was a miracle it was still breathing at all.

Professor Baldwin crouched beside it, dipped a finger in its blood, and lifted it to her lips. “Now then, let’s see where this thing came from.”

Suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from the bushes. The instant I heard it, my body moved before my mind could think. I grabbed Professor Baldwin and rolled to the side. “Get down!”

A crimson aura slashed through the space where she had been standing just moments ago.

“Grrraah!”

The already battered wolf was caught in the attack, its body ripped apart instantaneously.

“That aura...”

I turned toward the source. Amid the dark foliage, five pairs of glowing eyes stared back at us.

Drawing my sword, I muttered, “Looks like the cadets weren’t mistaken after all.”