Chapter 28: No Lie

"Let me help you organize them."

Mel suggested, her slender fingers gently stroking the spines of the books, feeling the subtle sensation of the gilded patterns on her fingertips.

The soft shadows of the oil lamp's halo were cast on the girl's fair face.

"This way, you can get some rest earlier."

"But you have school tomorrow, right?"

Veronica looked up, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

"I can do it myself, go get some rest, Mel."

"It's okay."

Mel shook her head, stubbornly sitting beside Veronica, a faint smile on her lips.

"Anyway, I already know everything the teacher is going to talk about."

This was no lie.

Since that day, a massive amount of basic knowledge had flooded into Mel's mind like a tide.

Mathematics, literature, history, geography....

This knowledge had taken root in her mind without any warning, making her a top student who didn't need to review.

And this knowledge happened to be all basic knowledge; there was nothing about the supernatural world.

Nothing else had happened, and there were no side effects.

This made Mel wonder just how idle (Knowledge) was.

"Alright, then."

Veronica finally gave in. "But we have to be quick. You still need to get enough sleep."

"Okay."

Mel nodded, then began to help Veronica organize the newly arrived books.

When she brought the books closer, a faint smell of rust would waft into her nostrils.

The smell reminded her of the blood that had splattered from Jessica's body when she died, that nauseatingly sweet, metallic smell.

"The smell is strange, right?"

Veronica noticed the change in Mel's expression and couldn't help but laugh.

Hearing this, Mel nodded gently, said nothing, and just silently sorted the books, stacking them neatly on the side.

Suddenly, Mel's movements paused.

She could feel that these book pages seemed to contain some kind of power, like enchanted scrolls.

But this subtle feeling was extremely faint, even fleeting.

Noticing this, Mel couldn't help but frown.

"Veronica, you should go rest first."

Mel said softly. "I'll handle the rest."

"How can I do that? This is my job."

Veronica shook her head.

"But your eyes are barely open."

Mel insisted.

"And look, I'm not slower than you at organizing them."

As she spoke, she quickly sorted and placed several books, her movements so skilled that they surprised Veronica.

"When did you learn that?"

"Just now."

Mel smiled.

The knowledge that (Knowledge) had stuffed into her brain also included the part about library management.

"Okay, okay...."

Veronica laughed and gave in, then stood up.

As she stood up, a crimson moonlight just happened to shine through the window and fall on the floor.

In that instant, Mel seemed to see a hint of blood color flash between the pages.

But when she looked again, everything returned to normal.

Seeing this, Mel's expression became even more solemn.

She quickly organized the books, while also silently condensing Quintessence on her fingertips.

Using her finger as a pen, she outlined a moon disc on the cover of each book.

Although she didn't know if this would be useful, it was better than doing nothing.

(Go to the church tomorrow and ask Bishop Oliver for a talisman.)

Mel made up her mind as she organized the books.

The oil lamp wick made a faint crackling sound.

Mel's fingertip quietly finished on the back cover of "The Theory and Practice of Crop Rotation."

The moon disc mark seeped into the leather cover with a mother-of-pearl luster, sealing the sticky smell stirring deep within the pages.

After doing all this, Mel thought for a moment and then moved all the books to the window, allowing the Red Moon to shine on them.

"Aren't you putting them on the table?"

Veronica asked.

"Let's put them by the window. It's good for ventilation."

Mel said naturally.

"How about you sleep in my room tonight, to let these books air out?"

The oil lamp cast two shadows on the rose-patterned wallpaper.

Veronica, holding a pillow, leaned against the door frame, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Moonlight wove a web-like pattern on the stack of books through the gauze curtain.

The books she had sealed were seeping small blood drops in the shadows, which then evaporated into a light red mist upon contact with the moonlight.

"Besides, I've been dreaming that math formulas are chasing me lately."

The girl turned playfully, the hem of her nightgown sweeping the floor, perfectly covering the winding scarlet mist on the floor.

"I need big sister's lullaby to help me sleep."

Hearing this, Veronica gave a faint smile. "In that case, there's no helping it."

The two lay in bed.

Veronica's fingers unconsciously wrapped around a lock of Mel's hair as she softly hummed the familiar song.

They had a good night's sleep.

The next day, Mel arrived at school.

She had thought that today would be the same as yesterday, with inexplicable people getting tangled up with her, but for some reason, everything was back to normal today.

The people who had been so eager to approach Mel yesterday now lowered their heads when they saw her, pretending not to see her.

Seeing this, Mel was a little confused, but also slightly relieved.

A cold shoulder was better than intimacy without a reason.

"Good morning, Mel."

Vilnia Randell was exceptionally early at school today.

Upon seeing Mel, she proactively came over.

"Good morning, Vilnia Randell...."

Mel responded softly.

"It's only Tuesday.... I really hope the weekend comes soon."

Vilnia Randell sat next to Mel, sighing with emotion.

"I wish time could just go by faster. You feel that way too, don't you, Mel?"

Hearing this, Mel was slightly stunned, then nodded, with a hint of an imperceptible hesitation in her movements.

Vilnia Randell keenly caught the girl's abnormality, so she moved a little closer and gently held Mel's hand.

"What's wrong? Is something on your mind?"

Vilnia Randell's voice was as soft as a feather, with genuine concern.

Mel felt her hand being wrapped in warmth, a temperature that seemed to seep into her bones.

But for some reason, the gibberish that should have sounded at this time to warn her didn't sound.

It was as if it had tacitly agreed to the other person's actions, no longer urging Mel to purify and kill her.

But that instinctive repulsion between Shepherds still existed.

This contradictory feeling made Mel frown.

She subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back, but found that Vilnia Randell was holding on tight.

"Nothing...."

She said softly, her gaze unintentionally sweeping over the other students in the classroom.

The people around them seemed to be deliberately avoiding their gaze.

"Mel, did you know?"

Vilnia Randell suddenly spoke, interrupting Mel's thoughts.

"I read a book recently that talked about how to make time go by faster."

Hearing this, Mel's heart suddenly sped up.

(A book? Is it some kind of mystical art....)

"Re... really? Is it like divination or something?"

Mel pretended to be calm, trying to respond with a relaxed tone.

"Of course not."

Vilnia Randell let out a light laugh, and her finger gently drew circles on the back of Mel's hand.

"To be precise, it should be a kind of psychology."

She suddenly leaned close to Mel's ear and whispered:

"The book says that as long as you are with someone you like, or are in some kind of happy state, you will feel that time passes very quickly."

"!"

Mel felt her ears burn and subconsciously turned her head to look at Vilnia Randell.

Their amber and coffee-colored eyes met.

Deep within both of them were secrets they didn't want others to know.

"Your eyes are so beautiful, Mel."

Vilnia Randell suddenly spoke, her tone full of fascination.

As she said this, even the filth entangled in her soul seemed to float away.

"They're like gems, so beautiful."

She said.

It would be even more beautiful if you could only look at me.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.