I Am Not a Flame-Chasing Witch Chapter 4

"..."

A chilling light flashed in the pupils beneath his helmet.

"Oh, Mr. Sir, why are you blocking my path?"

Elysia's smile usually brought a pure warmth, but to Lin, it was merely a disguise with ulterior motives. It was especially troublesome to Lin when she was being mischievous.

Was it because his attitude wasn't firm enough, or did this woman have some strange quirk? Ever since they first met, she always seemed to appear inappropriately everywhere.

Go to the R&D department, and Elysia would be commenting on how the weapons weren't good-looking enough.

Go to the lab, and Elysia would be chatting with the lab assistants about gossip.

Go to submit a report, and Elysia would be the one receiving it.

Every inexplicable encounter would turn into an opening line like, "Hi~ Missed me?"

Even the gym, which he considered his sanctuary, had a hole punched through it by the new head of the engineering department she'd brought in! As Lin was sprinting on the treadmill, he saw a pink-haired woman's head dangling from the ceiling, and his heart skipped a beat.

Since then, Lin had been exercising in his own room.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Your reaction is so amusing. Whenever you're in a situation like this where I'm joking, you look like you want to retort but have to hold back for the sake of your image."

Elysia said with a playful tone.

Lin crossed his arms and stared coldly at the girl who made him uncomfortable. "Who are you?"

Elysia was shocked for a moment, then looked at him with a sorrowful expression, as if trying to squeeze out a couple of tears.

"Oh dear, did you hit your head on your mission and get amnesia? I'm your best friend, Elysia! Let me awaken your memories with love."

As she spoke, her hands became restless, trying to touch Lin's helmet, but he slapped them away with a twitch of his eyelids.

Lin felt helpless against Elysia. This woman was like a master of tai chi; she wouldn't budge unless she achieved her goal. Lin found people like her the hardest to deal with.

Whenever Lin asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Elysia would smile sweetly, like a lily in full bloom, "I just want to see what you look like under your helmet. I bet you're very cute."

See, she never stated her true objective, just made up a casual excuse to approach him.

"If you're a looks-obsessed person, then I have a friend who's so handsome he'd make you overflow with adoration. As for me... I'm not much." Lin thought of Kevin, that cheerful handsome guy, who was called the Prince of Senchu Academy. Perhaps he and Elysia would get along well.

But then he thought about how Kevin liked quiet girls like Mei, and he suddenly didn't find Elysia's interest in him surprising.

"But don't many novels describe someone who usually hides their appearance, and then stuns everyone when they reveal themselves? Come to think of it, Lin, maybe you plan to let everyone think you're a tough guy inseparable from your helmet, and then one day, you'll suddenly take it off and shock the entire MOTH. Hehe, you're quite wicked~"

Elysia glanced around furtively, making sure no one was watching, then chuckled and poked Lin's helmet. "But I'd be happy to be the first witness~"

Lin felt utterly powerless now. No matter what he said, this woman could find a way to interpret his words. In the end, it was best to just stay silent.

"After all, if a gun appears in a story, it will eventually be fired; if a mask appears, it will eventually be taken off... Hey, wait for me, where are you going?"

Lin walked towards the R&D department without a word, followed by a conspicuous, noisy pink-haired girl.

After in-depth research into the Second Herrscher's abilities, the R&D department had developed some new items that required him to test their performance.

Among the partial introductions sent by the head of the R&D department, one item caught Lin's attention.

Phase Transfer Device.

Chapter 4 Accidents Are Common

"Compared to the First Herrscher, whose abilities can be more easily explained on a physical level, the Second Herrscher's abilities involve an abstract concept – time. Now, according to Dr. Einstein's recent research on the concept of spacetime, time itself is also an attribute of space. Therefore, the Second Herrscher's abilities are also partially linked to time..."

"However, based on records and research on the Herrscher's core, the Second Herrscher doesn't possess the ability to arbitrarily manipulate spatial dimensions. If she could, that would be truly terrifying..."

"But the Second Herrscher's abilities aren't just about folding the surrounding three-dimensional space; it's a more extensive control over the spatial dimension..."

The head of the R&D department chattered incessantly, explaining MOTH's research on the Second Herrscher to Lin, who sat on a chair. Although his vocabulary wasn't profound and most of the academic terms were simple enough to understand, combined with his passionate tone and rapid speech, he was clearly a mad scientist hawking his latest unreliable product.

Lin's helmet was splattered with the R&D department head's saliva. He sat there motionless, his uniformly colored gear making him look like a black ice sculpture. Since his helmet's interior was invisible, it was impossible to tell if he was asleep or listening silently.

On the other hand, Elysia listened with great interest, absorbing every word and occasionally asking a question.

"In short, we currently cannot replicate the Second Herrscher's ability to construct Imaginary Space. However, with the help of the newly arrived head of the engineering department, we've achieved her spatial transfer through another method, and that result is this Phase Transfer Device."

The head of the R&D department held up a bracelet-like device. "It was originally called the Imaginary Transfer Master No. 1, but we all agreed that the engineering department head's naming taste was too poor, so we named it the Phase Transfer Device."

Elysia's expression clearly became excited, as if she had found a toy. She turned to say something to Lin, only to find him still sitting on the chair, unmoving, his head bowed, the light from his blue visor dim.

Elysia leaned closer curiously, her lips parting slightly. "Lin? Are you asleep?"

"..."

Seeing Lin's lack of response, Elysia, a woman of action, immediately reached out her wicked hand towards the interface on his helmet neck, a mischievous smile on her face. "It seems you're tired from your mission. Take off your helmet and sleep."

The head of the R&D department was about to intervene. "Wait, he's not asleep..."

Snap.

A gloved, powerful hand grabbed her slender forearm. The blue window lit up again, and Lin slightly raised his head, staring directly at the surprised Elysia. He said in a deep voice, "What are you doing?"

Elysia tilted her head. "Weren't you asleep?"

Is this person really a robot? Does he automatically power on whenever someone tries to touch his helmet?

The head of the R&D department found their interaction amusing. "Lin never sleeps in front of others. He's reading a novel."

"Reading novels?"

"Don't talk nonsense." Lin glared at the head of the R&D department, but it was almost as effective as nothing through the helmet.

If there was one thing Lin did for entertainment, it was reading novels. He used to listen to music too, but he couldn't remember when he stopped filling his ears with soothing or passionate melodies.

Lin dared not imagine what Elysia, whose curiosity was boundless even with just a helmet, would do if she knew his hobby was reading novels.

"Let's put the principle explanation aside for now. How do I use it?"

Lin took the Phase Transfer Device. After scanning it, information uploaded by the head of the R&D department automatically popped up on the visual display. He put it on his left hand and walked to the prepared trial area.

A half-meter thick earthen wall stood in the trial area. He was likely expected to pass through it using the phase transfer.

The head of the R&D department watched him adjust the data on the device, his raised corners gradually falling. He hesitated slightly and said, "This device hasn't been tested on living subjects yet. You might be in danger. If other matter gets stuck in your body, it might be impossible to save you. Are you sure you want to try?"

"If I don't try, I'll never get the data." Lin treated the head of the R&D department better than most people. At least he was one of the researchers in MOTH who had a bit more conscience. He took a deep breath and raised the device to his eyes. "Besides, if I don't experiment, someone else will... No, never mind. Let's start."

The head of the R&D department didn't hear his first half-sentence, but Elysia, after hearing that barely audible remark, was stunned and stared at the person whose expression she couldn't see.

"Press the switch, and then everything will depend on your own on-the-spot reaction."

Everyone else retreated to a safe distance with data recording tools. Lin turned to look at the head of the R&D department. After he nodded at Lin, Lin held his breath and pressed the switch.

"————"

A harsh grinding sound echoed in his ears.

The world before his eyes transformed into a deep gray space.

In the second before he lost consciousness, Lin couldn't feel his body's existence, and was then swallowed by a tide of darkness.

"So... you guys were in such a hurry to find me, just because the experiment had an accident?"

Mobius walked out of the operating room and wrote a string of numbers on a notebook used for calculations. Her expression was as calm as water. She didn't even glance at Lin, who lay on the gurney in a horrific state, as if he were just an ordinary corpse.

"MOTH has countless experimental accidents every year. Losing limbs or even lives is normal. My research direction is different from yours in the R&D department. What use do you have for me?"

The head of the R&D department's expression was exceptionally grim. He hadn't expected the first live experiment to have such severe consequences for Lin. This couldn't be explained as a mere "mistake"; it was no different from throwing Lin into a crematorium.

The Phase Transfer Device essentially allowed the user to travel from real space to imaginary space and then return to real space, achieving the effect of teleportation. It was similar in principle to the ability of the Second Herrscher to return attacks.

However, they had underestimated the difference in transference between humans and inanimate objects, ultimately resulting in the body not being fully covered upon returning to real space, causing a cutting effect.

Lin, lying unconscious on the gurney, had lost everything from his left thigh down. The cross-section was incredibly smooth, a testament to their error.

"He should have been prepared to die when he started an experiment no one had ever conducted before. Besides, if you need to reattach a leg, you should find the Medical Department, not me." Mobius's gaze lingered on Lin's severed leg for a moment before she turned away as if she hadn't seen it, intending to return to the operating room.

"My dear Mobius, creating an identical leg must be very simple for you."

"..."

If there was one person Mobius least wanted to see in the laboratory, it was Elysia. Trouble always followed her appearance, and the efficiency of the entire laboratory would drop by 80%.

This included Mobius's own efficiency.

When Elysia looked at Mobius with her charming big eyes, teary and glistening, Mobius's heart would skip a beat.

Elysia approached Mobius step by step, her tears seemingly genuine, murmuring, "Mobius, my dear Mobius, please."

"What does this have to do with you?" Mobius retreated hastily, afraid Elysia would actually hug her, and asked irritably.

"..."

Elysia's expression suddenly changed, becoming gloomy and cold. Her eyes stared directly at Mobius.

Mobius was caught off guard by the sudden change: "...What do you mean?"

A threat? A cold war?

"Tsk, I get it. Leave him there. I'll have Bianca make him a new leg later, alright." Mobius frowned in annoyance under Elysia's icy gaze, a gaze she had never seen before.

How did Elysia get so close to this person? They weren't even on the same team.

After Mobius agreed, Elysia's face bloomed into a smile, returning to her previous demeanor. "That's great! That trick I learned from Lin actually worked. But I don't think it's very nice to friends, is it? I won't do this again in the future."

"..."

Mobius stiffly turned her neck, looking at Lin, who was like a dead man.

Learned it from him?

Might as well attach a Honkai beast's leg to him.

Chapter 5 First Edition Series Books

"He's wearing that helmet again."

"I've never seen him take it off. Aren't they betting on the internal network whether there's a Honkai beast or a robot under his helmet?"

"Oh, that, I bet a hundred bucks he's a robot..."

The not-so-unfamiliar ceiling. He had seen it many times during physical examinations.

The faint discussions around him were annoying. Perhaps the characteristic of Mobius's laboratory was to gossip about people.

After Lin woke up, a sense of powerlessness filled his entire body. Every cell in his body felt uncoordinated. This was the disharmonious sense of unease his body was feeding back to his nerves, telling him something was wrong.

The most obvious was his left leg; an unnatural sensation shot up from the root all the way along his spine to the back of his head, making him feel nauseous and nearly vomit inside his helmet.

What happened? My memory cuts off right before I pressed the switch.

"Hi~ How are you feeling?" A voice, so familiar it almost triggered a stress response in Lin, sounded by his ear. He quickly turned his head—

Light spilled onto his shoulder, the skin at the corner of her lips curving slightly upwards, like an angel lowering its noble head.

Lin felt that her smile was more like ripples spreading across a pond than a blooming flower.

In his daze, Lin saw Kevin smiling at him, a pure, friendly gaze washing over him.

"Hm? What's wrong? Lost in thought?" Elysia found Lin's rare stupor quite amusing. Did this count as him admitting she was a beautiful girl?

"No, I'm reviewing the records from after I passed out," Lin replied calmly.

"..." Elysia fell silent for an unusually long moment. "Lin, sometimes I really feel so frustrated."

"Oh?"

"Yeah~ You have no idea how much effort Mei and the head of R&D put in to get Mobius to make you a new leg, and you didn't even say thank you... sniffle... It's so heartbreaking..."

Lin scanned through all the records, pausing for a few seconds on several important points. He hesitated, then whispered almost inaudibly, "Thank you."

"See, every time you... What?"

Elysia stopped mid-sentence, staring at Lin with a look of disbelief.

Did he just say that?

"You..."

"Don't expect me to say it again."

Having spent so much time with Elysia, Lin knew exactly what she was about to say. To prevent the situation from devolving into a cliché light novel scene of one person saying thank you and the other asking for it again, he decided to preemptively break the classic trope.