Chapter 25: The End of the Season

That was on the day of Anya's funeral.

Dark clouds filled the sky, cold winds blew in gusts, and a misty drizzle pattered down.

Lin Yun held a black umbrella, his gaze fixed straight ahead, unaware that his feet were stepping into puddles. The lonely umbrella drifted in the wind like a black datura.

Water splashed from his leather shoes, scattering everywhere; he looked forward and saw a woman waiting for him.

She stood in the rain without an umbrella, the continuous raindrops blown by the slanting wind striking her body and flowing down along her hair.

The woman was probably in her twenties; because it was a funeral, she wore a black women's suit. Her facial lines were somewhat sharp, giving her a strikingly heroic appearance.

Seeing Lin Yun approach, she raised her head, with several water marks still lingering on her pale face.

"I'm sorry."

She stammered, her voice hoarse: "We arrived too late."

Lin Yun said nothing.

He didn't know what to say, or perhaps what he wanted to hear was not "I'm sorry."

The first thing everyone who knew Anya said upon meeting was "I'm sorry"; it seemed everyone had taken the blame for Anya's death upon themselves, and more importantly, their sorrow was genuine.

But if Anya's death was their fault, then what exactly was the murderer who killed her? Facing a void, what was the self that could only apologize helplessly?

Meeting someone only to apologize like this, to whom could he pour out his emotions that had nowhere to vent?

At sixteen, he might have wept bitterly; at twenty-six, he might have shed tears. Now, over thirty, as the sole remaining master of this household, before his daughter and before the assembled guests, there was no longer any room left for tears.

All that remained was silence, and it could only be silence; after all, even speaking one more word might cause him to choke, so how could he bring himself to speak?

It was just that his silence did not mean the woman before him would not continue speaking.

"We trusted too much, relied too much on Senior Sakura... or rather, we underestimated the enemy too much, and thus became lax."

The woman clenched her fists, her face full of regret: "Just as usual, she said, 'I can handle it alone,' telling us not to get involved. We all thought that a magical girl as powerful as her could never encounter any accident, but the result was..."

Stop talking.

Lin Yun very much wanted to tell him that he did not want to hear how Anya died at all, but he understood that this was impossible.

"When we arrived, Senior Sakura had already been... and the enemy escaped right before our eyes."

Her voice grew lower and lower, her mood depressed: "I'm sorry, we accomplished nothing, we were completely useless; as her comrade, I am a sinner."

The sound of rain continued.

Lin Yun took a step and walked toward the woman.

The woman stood still, but her hand clenched even tighter, and she closed her eyes.

As a comrade-in-arms, letting a teammate die alone, especially a senior who had taken care of her in daily life, such a despicable act meant that even if the family responded with violence, it would be normal; she had already prepared herself.

But Lin Yun did not do that.

He simply extended the umbrella over her head, gently hugged her, and patted her shoulder.

"Do not blame yourself; you have done your best, Tuomi."

He spoke; although his voice was dry and his expression indifferent, it conveyed gentleness: "From now on, just do what you ought to do."

The woman called Tuomi stood under the umbrella, first widening her eyes, stunned for a moment, and then tears burst forth: "Cornflower..."

"Don't say it."

Lin Yun shook his head, cutting her off: "I do not like that codename."

"... Then, Senior Cuique."

Tuomi managed to hold back her sobs, covering her mouth and remaining silent for a while. After a long time, she took a deep breath, looked at Lin Yun, and kept her words steady: "No, Mr. Lin Yun."

"We plan to leave Fang Ting City."

Clearly, this was the message she truly wanted to convey.

Lin Yun's fingers twitched, but his face remained expressionless; he simply nodded: "When?"

"It should be within this week."

Tears were still sliding down Tuomi's face, so she reached out to wipe them away: "Although we let the enemy escape, we also judged from their appearance and behavioral logic that the one who killed Senior Sakura was not a Remnant Beast, or rather, at least not only a Remnant Beast."

Not only a Remnant Beast.

This sentence caught Lin Yun's attention.

"This matter should be related to a certain mysterious organization that the Kingdom has been investigating; they seem to possess some means of cooperating with Remnant Beasts."

Tuomi sniffed, and a determined expression gradually appeared in her red eyes: "So we will join the special investigation team of the Investigation Bureau, follow the murderer's tracks, and drag them out."

"... Very dangerous?" Hearing some hidden meaning in her words, Lin Yun asked with his eyes lowered.

"It seems so; it appears to be the investigation team with the highest casualties in the Investigation Bureau."

Grinning, Tuomi forced out a somewhat ugly smile: "But if we don't do this, I'm afraid we will never be able to look ourselves in the face again."

"After we leave, a new Sower will come to Fang Ting City; it will choose a new magical girl, and newcomers will protect this city; we old ones with little term left are also time to make way."

"And Senior Chaoyan... she has retired for many years; her real name is now Hong Siyu, and as a staff member of the Special Strategy Bureau, she will also be transferred to Fang Ting City."

She was somewhat rambling, listing one by one everything she knew.

Lin Yun listened to her for a long time, made no comment, and did not interrupt her.

"I wish you success."

Only after she finished did Lin Yun nod, extending the umbrella in his hand toward Tuomi: "Take it with you."

Tuomi did not take it.

She looked at Lin Yun, smiled bitterly, and shook her head.

After gazing at each other for a long time, Lin Yun understood her meaning; he silently put away the umbrella, looked deeply at Tuomi once more, and turned to leave.

"... Mr. Lin Yun, what I am about to say does not require a response."

However, after he had walked two steps, Tuomi's voice came from behind again.

This time, her voice carried some hesitation: "After I applied to join the special team, someone found me, claiming to be an official subordinate of Great Lord Jin Lu Jinlv Maoyan."

Hearing the name from Tumi's mouth, Lin Yun's pupils contracted slightly.

But since Tumi had said no response was needed, he did not turn back, standing with his back to her and listening quietly.

"She told me this matter now involves very deep stakes; in fact, just this week, a Lord certified by the Flower Card went missing during an investigation. So she asked me to convey a message from Lord Jin Lu Jinlv Maoyan to you:"

— "'Think clearly about what you are currently bearing; do not do anything impulsive'."

After these words, no human voice came from behind.

Realizing this was the sign that it was over, Lin Yun paused in place for a long time; ultimately, following Tumi's instruction, he still made no reaction, simply stepping forward to leave.

After he left, pale yellow mana surged from an empty corner, and a faint rainbow light shot into the sky, obscured by the rainy gloom.

One year later, Tumi joined an auxiliary investigation squad of the Investigation Bureau and encountered an unknown enemy during an investigation mission.

After a fierce battle, to ensure the safe delivery of intelligence, she voluntarily held the rear and sacrificed herself in Binhai City.

After her death, her teammate, also from Fang Ting City, took her place and began a new round of pursuit.

It is just that Lin Yun was not yet aware of this point.