"I will give you all a hopeful future."
Upon hearing Lynn's words, all the members of the Eye of Secrets fell silent. Some bowed their heads, others clenched their gifts tightly, and a few stared blankly at Lynn.
Before today, even after being rescued to the Divine Kingdom, escaping their previously precarious lives, and being selected as the first batch of students for the Eye of Secrets, these students remained confused and fearful about their future. "Hope" and "future" had never been part of their vocabulary until today.
No one had ever told them with such conviction that they too could have hope, a future, and the power to protect themselves. That they could live truly as people, not as objects or food.
"Your Highness Lynn..." Suddenly, one of the students spoke up. It was a girl about thirteen or fourteen years old. She was clearly very nervous but managed to control it as she asked, "Can we really have power like those Demonic Wolves? I... I want to protect myself. I don't want to just cry when facing those monsters."
"Of course you can. But I must clarify that this path will be dangerous, fraught with madness and loss of control. If anyone is afraid, you can leave now without any worries. Even if you choose to leave, I will ensure you're taken care of," Lynn said, comforting the girl with a smile before turning serious.
"I'm not afraid. No matter how dangerous it is... it can't be worse than before," the girl replied, biting her lip with determination.
"What about the rest of you? Does anyone want to leave?" Lynn asked, looking at the others.
No one spoke or stepped back. Even the little rascal who had first dared to ask Lynn a question now raised his hand and said, "Teacher, we're not afraid of danger. We're only afraid of helplessly awaiting death when it comes."
His words echoed Lynn's earlier statement, fitting perfectly. Encouraged, the others also started to express their resolve.
"Right, I'm not afraid."
"Although I'm a bit scared, what if we meet the Demonic Wolves again... I don't want to be eaten."
"Yeah, the Demonic Wolves are terrifying. I don't want to be eaten either, so having power is better."
Most of their words were simple, as they hadn't received a good education.
Lynn listened quietly to their speeches. Once everyone had spoken, he lightly coughed.
Instantly, everyone fell silent, no one making a sound. This wasn't due to good discipline but rather an inherent fear of powerful beings.
This made Lynn feel complicated for a moment, but he soon smiled and said, "Since no one is backing down, welcome, little ones, to embrace a new future with me."
...
"Just a motivational speech to better win their hearts, but in the end, I was the one who got more moved... Well, since I've decided to be their teacher, I'll fulfill my responsibility!"
In the Fifth Epoch, Lynn, while multitasking with several Smurf Accounts and adjusting the makeup of his divine incarnation, thought about his freshly recruited students with a sense of sentiment.
But soon, his wandering thoughts brought him to other matters, such as Ouroboros, and a certain little snake who loved ice cream.
"I wonder if Ouroboros will remember our agreement and stick to it. Even if he doesn't, it doesn't matter. As long as the Second Epoch's plan works out, everything should spread as intended. I hope Amon isn't too surprised by these gifts."
Thinking this, Lynn couldn't help but smile brightly. He loved to torment Amon, not just because of the past grudges but also because Amon reminded him of someone. Although he had no specific memories, Lynn was certain he had encountered someone similar to Amon before and had suffered deeply.
While it's wrong to take it out on others, Lynn was petty, and Amon had a talent for causing trouble. Taking it out on Amon didn't feel wrong; it felt like doing a public service.
Lynn even dared to say that anyone familiar with Amon, knowing his deeds, would applaud his actions, possibly even Amon's brother. After all, everyone had long awaited someone even more troublesome than Amon to discipline him.
Yes, Lynn was very aware of his own nature, aware that he was like a mischievous husky. And he had no intention of changing that.
After some schadenfreude over the misfortune that would befall Amon, Lynn then considered Will Auceptin, who was likely on the verge of restarting, if not already having done so.
To be honest, due to the original story, Lynn had a basic level of goodwill towards Will. And now, with Ouroboros as his deputy, Lynn was even more interested. He felt he should meet Will, to give a bit of a scare to the young Snake of Fate.
But don't get it wrong, Lynn had no intention of catching Will for Ouroboros. For now, Lynn had no desire to get involved in the struggle between the two Snakes of Fate.
Why? Simply because he wasn't that close to them.
Lynn hadn't even met Will, and while he didn't dislike Ouroboros after meeting him twice, their relationship was only that of ordinary friends at best. Lynn had no intention of getting involved in their fight for Sequence 0.
Such battles were no joke; one misstep could mean risking everything. Lynn hadn't even laid out his own plans for godhood yet; he didn't have time to meddle in others' Sequence battles.
If it were Medici, Lynn would help without hesitation. But with these two, he preferred to keep things amicable and help in other ways if necessary. He was quite experienced in this kind of diplomacy.
Whether Lynn's stance would shift in the future and whether he would choose to support one side over the other was a matter for later. That was a concern for the distant future.
(End of the Chapter)