Chapter 287: Four Masters of Beguiling the Heart (5K)_2
“I can only say it’s… very difficult,” the portly janitor said, “The Forbidden Forest is just too vast. A search would require a tremendous amount of manpower and resources. The academy has always turned a blind eye to that beast. If it hadn’t caused such an uproar over ten years ago, the academy wouldn’t have resolved to eliminate it.”
“But isn’t it causing quite a stir now?” Hewinia looked at the snowy pit on the ground, recalling the information the two janitors had given her yesterday, “The victim here is the one you were looking for yesterday, Pella, a Silver Rank Third Notes sister, right? It has already become…”
“Hewinia,” the skinny janitor said solemnly, “ten years ago, there was a Golden Rank that met with disaster. And… you should know what time is coming soon.”
Hewinia was taken aback for a moment before something seemed to click, and she said in a low voice, “The festival.”
“Yes, the festival,” the skinny janitor nodded, “To the academy, that is the most important matter. During that time, all our efforts are dedicated to it. We will certainly report this incident, and the academy will surely post a notice, but…”
“An extermination is unlikely,” the portly janitor interjected, “The academy won’t divert manpower at such a time. At most, they’ll have us strengthen patrols, but as you know, the Forbidden Forest is just too vast.”
“So, Hewinia…” the skinny janitor urged again, “during this time, stay away from the Forbidden Forest.”
“I… understand,” Hewinia lowered her head, glancing once more at the bloodstained snow pit, “That sister Pella…”
The skinny janitor stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder, “Alright, get back to class.”
This gesture said it all, even the seemingly naïve Hewinia understood.
Thus, under the watchful eyes of the two janitors, a pall of sadness cast over Hewinia’s eyes, rendering her quite pitiable, and the janitors felt a twinge of pity.
But they were helpless and could only offer words of comfort again.
“Alright, Hewinia. Don’t dwell on it too much,” the skinny janitor said, “The festival is almost here; that is your stage. Don’t let irrelevant things bog you down, okay?”
Hewinia obediently nodded.
“Go back now,” the portly janitor added, “Don’t worry, we’ll report this immediately. Once the notice is posted, there won’t be any more victims.”
Hewinia nodded again and then turned to leave.
But every couple of steps, she would pause and look back, appearing hesitant.
When she was about ten meters away, she finally made up her mind, hurried back to the two janitors, and stammered, “If… if I get caught, could you please not give up on me? I… I would struggle with all my might, persisting until you arrive, so… of course, if… if it’s truly hopeless, then never mind.”
The two janitors were clearly not expecting Hewinia to say such a thing.
Looking into Hewinia’s eyes, frantic and tense as a startled rabbit, they couldn’t help but smile simultaneously.
“Don’t worry. If it’s Hewinia, we will find you even if it takes us deep into the woods.”
“Yes, if it’s Hewinia.”
Hearing this, Hewinia finally showed a sigh of relief, bowed deeply to them, and left, satisfied.
Yet, the moment she turned around, the emotions in her eyes vanished, leaving only cold indifference.
It was as though she had suddenly become a different person.
And the two janitors, of course, could not see this change.
“How interesting,” Bai Wei’s voice echoed in her mind, “Do you really think they would come to save you when the time comes?”
Hewinia looked down at her left hand’s fingers and said nothing.
Bai Wei continued to speak on his own accord.
“Hmm… on second thought, they might. To them, a prized girl humbly asking for their help is enough to inspire them to do a bit more. They wouldn’t chase you to the ends of the earth as they claimed, but they might go a hundred meters or so further. That way, if such a thing really happened, the chances of survival could increase a bit.”
“You wouldn’t be paying any real price; just a few expressions, a few soft words.”
“Such a manipulative tactic, quite powerful, truly powerful indeed.”
“Perhaps you’re more suited to be an Evil God than I am?”
Hewinia detected the unmistakable teasing in Bai Wei’s words, but her expression remained unchanged.
That is until Bai Wei spoke again.
“However, that trace, is it really as they said, someone ambushed and dragged back into the Forbidden Forest?”
“Don’t you think that trace is a bit too chaotic?”
In an instant, memories from a year ago surged into her mind.
A girl covered in blood struggled desperately in a muddy pit, leaving behind a trail intertwined with mud and blood.
And she was stepping on that trail, slowly approaching the girl.
The girl sensed something, suddenly turned her head, and pleaded with a voice filled with despair, “No, please don’t kill me. I’ve already given you my ‘Notes’, I’m of no use to you anymore… please, don’t kill me, I won’t trouble you any longer, I beg you…”
She, too, drenched in blood, approached expressionlessly.