Chapter 160: Master of Bewitching People (5K)
Helvinia smelled blood.
She approached the two janitors calmly, the sound of her stepping on the snow was drowned out by the two janitors' voices, which were not deliberately lowered.
"How could this happen? That thing should be extinct."
"I don't know. I haven't seen it in many years."
"Should we continue looking for this?"
"...It's very difficult, right? With this amount of bleeding, can he really survive?"
"It seems that I have to report to the higher-ups."
"Yeah, after all, the grand ceremony will be held soon. At this time, if... something?!"
They finally felt someone approaching, and scrutinizing gazes swept over them instantly, and the staffs in their hands also glowed faintly.
Hevinia immediately stood still obediently: "It's me, I just came to see what you are doing."
When they saw that the person coming was Hevinia, the two janitors breathed a sigh of relief.
Thanks to her silly, clumsy, often late young lady character, Hevinia, who is of gold rank, is often able to deal with all kinds of school workers.
In addition, her deliberately harmless personality allowed her to maintain a very good relationship with most of the school workers.
After all, how could anyone dislike a girl who was above him in status and talent, who had such outstanding looks, but was still so friendly and could get along with everyone?
"Be careful, Hevinia." The light on the staff went out, and the janitor put away the staff while saying to Hevinia, "Your sneaky steps just now made us think you were something troublesome."
"Troublesome things?" Helvinia showed a puzzled expression. "What kind of troublesome things could there be?"
The two janitors exchanged glances.
If it was any other student, they would just wave their hands and let him leave, after all, the matter had not been investigated clearly yet.
But if it's Helvinia...
"Tsk, take a look." One of the fatter janitors moved aside, "But I want to remind you to be mentally prepared."
"You should have said this before you moved aside." Another thin janitor held his forehead and said, "What's the point of moving aside first and then reminding me?"
"Ah, I forgot... You should have reminded me earlier. You know that my actions are always faster than my brain."
Hevinia no longer cared about the conversation between the two janitors, because she had already seen the snow pit covered with blood behind them.
Hevinia's eyes widened little by little, and her face turned pale: "This is..."
"Okay, Hevinia." As if he had guessed Hevinia's reaction, the thin janitor immediately raised his hand and tried to comfort her. "I know you are surprised, but please don't scream, so as not to cause panic."
He pointed behind Helvinia again.
Helvinia knew what he meant.
Their current location was only a few hundred meters away from the teaching building. Once Hevinia screamed, countless people would instantly notice this place, so Hevinia wisely covered her mouth, but her eyes were still full of fear.
"Okay, don't worry." The two janitors were quite satisfied with Hevinia's reaction, and then they immediately comforted Hevinia, "It was just an accident."
"Accident?"
"Yeah." The fat janitor shrugged. "You know, this was a common thing a dozen or twenty years ago... well, at least it happened occasionally."
The fat janitor moved sideways again.
"Look."
He pointed to the snow pit, and Hevinia looked in the direction he pointed and saw a trail that looked like a tail.
It was a series of messy footprints, obviously not from humans, with bloodstains in the middle of the footprints.
"What is this?" Hevinia was even more stunned.
"It should be called the Snowthorn Beast." The thin janitor pointed to the snow-covered forest behind him and said, "It's a very ferocious beast that used to live in the Forbidden Forest. It would come out from time to time to attack students. It's very troublesome."
"Just like now." The fat janitor pointed at the snow pit under his feet and the long trace, "After the sneak attack was successful, they dragged them into the forest."
Drag it into the forest?
Hevinia's expression turned pale in an instant, as if she had imagined such a scene, and she even stuttered: "...but I've never heard of it."
"Like I just said, the last time they showed up was more than a decade ago." The fat janitor said, "Let alone the students who change every four years, the last time they showed up, even the two of us hadn't joined yet. Now, except for some professors, I guess no one knows about the existence of those things."
Hearing what the fat janitor said, Hevinia's face turned even paler: "So no one has been taking care of it?"
"How is that possible?" said the thin janitor. "If no one had been paying attention, would you have never heard of this thing? More than ten years ago, the three major academies organized a cleanup operation. Hundreds of players went deep into the forbidden forest and killed thousands of snowthorn beasts. Since then, this thing has not been seen. To be honest, if this incident hadn't happened, I would have thought that thing had been extinct."
"Then...are we going to organize a cleanup this time as well?" Hevinia asked.
The thin janitor and the fat janitor looked at each other again.
"Hevinia," the thin janitor said, "Don't go to the Forbidden Forest during this period, okay?"
Hevinia opened her mouth slightly: "What, what do you mean? The academy is not going to clean up the place?"
"I can only say... it's difficult." The fat janitor said, "The Forbidden Forest is really too big. It takes a lot of manpower and material resources to search it, so the academy has always turned a blind eye to that beast. If it hadn't caused such a big commotion more than ten years ago, the academy would not have made up its mind to wipe it out."
"But isn't it a big commotion now?" Helvinia looked at the snow pit on the ground and recalled the information the two school workers told her yesterday. "The person in trouble is the one you were looking for yesterday, the senior sister Pera of the Silver Level Three Tones, right? She is already..."
"Hevinia." The thin janitor said earnestly, "Ten years ago, Jinjie was in trouble, and... you should know what time it will be in a while."
Hevinia was stunned for a moment, then seemed to remember something and whispered, "Ceremony."
"Yes, the grand ceremony." The thin janitor nodded. "For the college, this is the most important thing. All other work will give way to it. We will of course report this accident to the higher-ups, and the college will definitely post a notice, but..."
"It's unlikely that we can wipe it out," said the fat janitor. "The academy won't allocate manpower at a time like this. At most, they'll ask us to step up patrols, but you know, the Forbidden Forest is too big."
"So, Hevinia..." the thin janitor reminded again, "Don't go near the Forbidden Forest during this period of time."
"I... understand." Hevinia lowered her head and looked at the bloody snow pit again, "Then Senior Pella..."
The thin janitor walked up to her and gently patted her on the shoulder: "Okay, go back to class."
This action said it all; even the silly-looking Hevinia could understand it.
So, in the eyes of the two janitors, Hevinia's eyes dimmed instantly, and she looked very pitiful, and the two janitors felt a little bit reluctant.
But they had no choice but to comfort her again.
"Okay, Hevinia. Don't think too much." The thin janitor said, "The ceremony is coming soon. That's your stage. Don't be trapped by irrelevant things like this, okay?"
Helvinia nodded obediently.
"Go back quickly." The fat janitor also said, "Don't worry, we will report it immediately. When the notice is posted, there will be no more victims."
"good."
Helvinia nodded again, then turned and left.
But he would pause every two steps, look back, and look hesitant.
When she was about ten meters away, she finally made up her mind, trotted back, and stammered to the two school workers: "Ru, if I was caught, could you please not just give up on me? I will definitely struggle hard and hold on until you arrive, so... of course, Ru, if you really can't save me, forget it."
The two janitors obviously did not expect Hevinia to say such a thing.
Looking at Hevinia's frightened and nervous eyes, like a frightened rabbit, they all smiled at the same time.
"Don't worry. If it's Helvinia, we'll find you even if we have to chase you into the woods."
"Yes, if it's Helvinia."
After hearing this, Hevinia showed a look of relief. She bowed deeply to the two of them before leaving with satisfaction.
But the moment she turned around, the emotions in her eyes disappeared, leaving only indifference.
It was like he became a different person in an instant.
The two janitors obviously couldn't see this change.
But, someone still saw it.
"Interesting." Bai Wei's voice sounded in her mind, "Do you think they will come to save you when the time comes?"
Helvinia looked down at the fingers of her left hand and said nothing.
And Bai Wei was still talking to himself.
"Hmm... If you think about it carefully, it's still possible. For them, a proud girl who has put herself down to ask for help is enough for them to do more. Although they won't chase you to the end of the world as they said, it's still possible to walk a few dozen or a hundred meters more. In that way, even if you really encounter such a thing, the probability of survival will increase a little bit."
"And you don't have to pay any real price, just a few expressions and a few soft words."
"This method of bewitching people is so powerful. It's really too powerful."
"Perhaps you are more suitable to be an evil god than me?"
Hevinia heard the undisguised sarcasm in Bai Wei's words, but her expression remained unchanged.
Until Bai Wei's next words rang out.
"But, is that trace really, as they said, dragged back to the Forbidden Forest after being attacked?"
"Don't you think that mark is a bit too messy?"
Helvinia's body froze.
In an instant, memories of a year ago came flooding back to my mind.
A girl covered in blood was desperately crawling forward in a mud pit, leaving behind a tail of mud and blood.
And she stepped on the tail and slowly approached the girl.
The girl sensed something and turned her head suddenly, begging in a desperate voice: "No, please don't kill me. I have already given you my voice, I am no longer of any use to you... Please, don't kill me, I will never bother you again, please..."
She was also covered in blood and walked up with an expressionless face.
After a while, the girl was completely silent.
She grabbed the girl's ankle and walked back little by little along the traces the girl had left while struggling.
So the trace became more messy.
It's exactly the same as the one in the snow.
Hevinia suddenly opened her eyes, and the dark and depressing memories once again turned into pure white reality before her eyes.
She heard Bai Wei's meaningful voice again: "Hmm? Are you...thinking about something?"
It was still that slightly teasing tone, but this time Hevinia could no longer remain indifferent as before. She took several deep breaths before gradually calming down her somewhat chaotic breathing and mood.
Helvinia said calmly, "Nothing."
Then, without waiting for Bai Wei to respond, she quickly returned to the teaching building.
The bustle and noise in the teaching building greatly relieved the negative emotions in her heart and made her feel that her breathing became smoother.
But before she could take two steps, a weak voice sounded behind her: "Um, Hevinia..."
Hevinia naturally recognized that it was Oger's voice, but she did not turn around immediately. Instead, she paused for a moment, adjusted her expression and demeanor back to attacking Oger, and then turned around.
"Oger?" She looked at Oger who suddenly appeared with a little surprise, "Have you been waiting for me...Ah, sorry, sorry, it was because of me that you were scolded by Professor Arianna before."
Helvinia clasped her hands together and raised them above her head, looking pitiful.
"I'm sorry, can you forgive me? I'd do anything!"
Helvinia's words made Oger's face turn red again. He subconsciously took two steps back and even his eyes moved downwards unconsciously, as if he was afraid to look directly at the sun and not dare to look at Helvinia.
"No, no, no, senior... I mean, Hevinia, it has nothing to do with you. It's my own problem." Oger had obviously just changed his clothes and ran out again. He was sweating all over. "I just wanted to ask you, do you still want to read this book?"
Og handed her the ancient book that Helvinia had read in class.
"Professor Arianna's next class on 'Music Theory' is in two days, so..."
Helvinia understood what Ogg meant.
Oger is different from Hevinia. He is only at the bronze level, and there are not many courses that can be chosen by bronze-level people, unlike Hevinia's gold level, where she can choose any course if she wants.
The only course that Ogg and Hevinia could have in common was "Music Theory".
So in order to prevent Hevinia from not being able to read the book he borrowed before the next class, Og chose to lend the book directly to Hevinia.
But in reality, this is a very risky move.
Because if Hevinia lost the book, the responsibility would fall on Ogg, who had registered the loan.
The value of this ancient book is definitely not something Oger can afford to compensate for.
But Ogg seemed to have no concerns about this at all, and he didn't even mention it to Hevinia.
"Oh, so that's it. I almost forgot." Hevinia took the ancient book, put her hands together again, and made an exaggerated gesture of gratitude. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, it really helped a lot. Don't worry, I will definitely return the book to you the day after tomorrow!"
"Well, it's not a big deal."
Oger lowered his head, clutching the corner of his clothes nervously, as if he had something else to say to Hevinia.
And Hevinia also saw it: "What's wrong?"
"No, nothing." Og stuttered, "I, I just want to ask, you have already lit up the notes, then, then your orchestra..."
Halfway through his words, a dull and loud bell rang out, instantly drowning out his voice.
This is the bell that signals the start of the next class.
"Ah, why do we have to go to class again?" Hevinia sighed slightly, "Damn, it's not even long since we had our break... So what are you going to say?"
"Uh... No, no more." The bell also interrupted Og's courage, and he shook his head and said, "I should go back to the library. See you the day after tomorrow, Hevinia."
After saying that, he turned around hurriedly, wanting to leave quickly, but was stopped by Hevinia: "Hey."
Og turned around subconsciously, and was gently hit on the forehead by Hevinia with a book.
"Why are you walking so fast?" Helvinia said. "I have something else to say."
"……ah?"
"Don't go near the Forbidden Forest recently, understand?" Hevinia said seriously, "There are monsters in the Forbidden Forest recently, and they will attack people nearby, so you must not get close to the Forbidden Forest, do you understand?"
"Monster?" Oger covered his forehead, a little confused, not knowing whether it was because he was hit on the forehead by Hevinia or for some other reason.
"Hey, I forgot what monster it was. Anyway, there will be a notice later." At this time, the second bell rang, urging all those who had not yet entered the classroom, so Hevinia could only jog to the classroom while turning back to say to the stunned Og, "Anyway, you are not allowed to run to the Forbidden Forest! Do you understand?! I will definitely be angry if you get hurt!"
Og stared blankly at Hevinia's back as she disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
After a long while, he rubbed his head and murmured softly.
"Yes, I understand."
But after Hevinia turned the corner, her expression disappeared again.
"So I say." Bai Wei's voice sounded lazily, "You are the master at bewitching people."
(End of this chapter)
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