Chapter 81: Innocent Iono Takes the Hit & “Only Lillie Is Off-Limits”

"You're here to help me? What do you mean?"

"Do you remember Wicke?"

"Of course I do. She's one of the Aether Foundation's branch directors. Why?"

In Lillie's memory, Wicke had always been a kind and capable elder—warmhearted, competent, and someone who had looked after her for a long time.

In many ways, she was the complete opposite of the other branch director, Faba.

But it had been a while since Lillie last saw her—back on the island where Necrozma first appeared.

Even then, Wicke's demeanor had seemed off. She looked like something out of a succubus horror story... eerily unnatural.

Since then, Lillie had been caught up in other affairs and hadn't given the Foundation's branch director much further thought.

"I'm sure Haru already told you what happened between me and Lusamine."

"I wasn't the only one Mew and Lusamine abducted that day. Wicke was taken too—we both went through the same torment."

"But... it seems like she got pulled in even deeper. If I was just suffering back then, she was suffering and enjoying it."

"Wicke never got her hands on Necrozma's power, which is probably why nothing bigger came of it…"

"But if she had, I'm convinced she would've been even scarier than I was."

"Because by then, she had already become a beast of desire."

Hearing Lana explain it all, Lillie started to grow worried.

"What happened after that? It's been so long—she must've calmed down a bit by now, right?"

"At least I haven't heard anything strange about her recently."

But Lana simply shook her head.

"That's what I thought too... until I bumped into her by chance today."

"I took a look at her research notes—secretly—and found out she's been working on some... very unusual drug."

"It's a compound that, once released, can send any living creature into a state of... frenzy. Once it kicks in, nobody can stop until both sides are completely 'defeated.'"

"For men especially, it massively boosts combat ability."

"It might sound tame when I describe it like this, but her lab notes make the effects sound... terrifying."

"There are spray forms and oral forms—she's already made several batches."

As she spoke, Lana pulled out a small spray canister and waved it in front of Lillie. "Don't worry—I already stole all of it."

"She'll need quite a bit of time to make more, so we've still got time to handle this."

"I don't have the authority to mobilize anyone from the Aether Foundation... and since this has something to do with you, I came straight here as soon as I got my hands on the samples."

"…"

Lillie fell silent for a moment before finally asking:

"What's her goal? She's not just trying to invent something for the fun of it, is she?"

"She wants to use this stuff on Haru, Lusamine... and herself."

"Then... she plans to have an enhanced Haru 'destroy' Lusamine as revenge. I think it's revenge, anyway?"

"Though I have no clue why she'd want to be involved herself."

Lana tucked the spray bottle back into her pocket.

"I see."

"Then let's head over to her place right now. All the notes and data about this insane drug need to be destroyed."

"No one else is going to end up in bed with Haru because of this nonsense. Not again!"

In that moment, Lillie had made her decision.

She would defend what little dignity she had left.

Who would've thought Wicke had been spending all this time secretly cooking up something so illegal?

If she wanted fewer metaphorical horns on her head, this twisted plan had to be stopped—now.

"Wait, but what about Master?" Mew panicked when she realized Lillie was about to leave.

She still wanted Lillie to witness her Master's "artistry" firsthand!

Just imagine—Lillie flipping the script and turning all of Haru's techniques back on him! Mew could already picture herself enjoying the drama from the sidelines.

But now Lillie was seriously leaving over something this trivial? That wouldn't do!

Even if Wicke's plan went off without a hitch, the worst that would happen is Haru getting... well, reverse-assaulted.

So what? He should be used to that by now, right?

And besides, who's to say who would really be on top in the end?

"We'll deal with that later," Lillie waved a hand without looking back. "This comes first."

Without another word, she hurried after Lana, heading straight for Wicke's residence.

This time, she would take back everything that was hers.

---

On the eastern side of Aether Paradise stood a solitary Western-style cottage.

The golden glow of the setting sun fell across its weathered walls, giving the building a kind of nostalgic dignity. Built beside a shimmering lake, the cottage sparkled as though wrapped in a veil of golden lace.

As one of the Foundation's two branch directors, Wicke's home couldn't quite match Lusamine's presidential suite, but it was leagues above what any average staff member could dream of.

In fact, a place like this wasn't something you could buy with money alone.

Lillie, Lana, and Mew arrived outside the cottage. Instead of knocking, they scouted the area first, then slipped in through a window.

As Lana had described, the place was cluttered with bizarre ingredients and stacks of research notes.

On the desk sat several suspicious-looking test tubes filled with unidentified liquids.

"This is it?"

Lillie casually flipped through the notebook on the desk, but quickly realized she couldn't understand a single thing it said.

She waved the notebook and asked Lana:

"Did you see her when you came by earlier?"

"She was here. I tied her to a chair, actually... so where the heck did she go?"

Lana scratched her head, visibly confused.

But before they could dig further, the monitor on the desk suddenly flickered to life.

On screen appeared a woman in a black bodysuit, with a heart-shaped tail extending from behind. The face was unmistakable—it was Wicke, the very subject of their discussion.

And the location?

It was the lab Lillie had just left not long ago…

Wicke gave the camera a little wave, then pulled out a small spray can—one Lana immediately recognized—and casually tossed it toward the lab's ventilation shaft.

Then, her lips moved, forming one simple sentence:

"Only Lillie... is off-limits."

"…"

"This woman!"

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