At those words, every one of them felt their heart lurch and sink.
Ophiel bowed again, then stood and glanced sideways at Anthony and the others, who were still kneeling.
"Headmaster Anthony, and Cleric Tie Lun."
"Weren't you asking what that Reality Collapse had to do with the Divine Chosen? Then I can answer you now. It was the battle between the Divine Chosen and that Weird that triggered the Reality Collapse! The Divine Chosen pursued it all the way into the Second Layer of the Spirit Realm. To protect the real world, he spent the entire night painstakingly tracking that monster..."
"Do you still intend to keep asking?"
In an instant, it was as though another heavy hammer had struck their brains, leaving their minds completely blank.
Anthony said stiffly:
"Th-this..."
Lin En sat in a chair, his entire body still blazing with Holy Flame.
"I don't actually want to blame you. Given the clues available to you, it was perfectly reasonable for your investigation to lead to me, so I don't hold that against you. The only thing that truly angered me was the way you handled this matter and the attitude you took. That's why I was about to lose my temper."
Lin En closed his eyes.
"What if I really were a Great Demon? What if I were an Outer God?"
"Without making any preparations whatsoever, you still dared to alert your target... Do you know how many people would have died today if that were the case? How many Exorcists would have lost their lives because of this trial of yours?!"
Lin En glanced sideways at them, his tone earnest.
"Did you ever think about that?"
Lin En's words weren't harsh, but they frightened Anthony and the two clerics so badly that sweat poured from