Erylin desperately tried to recall what had happened before she lost consciousness, but no matter what, her memory only remained at the moment Lillian killed her.
“It's not like that...”
“It shouldn't be like this...”
“No, she wouldn't do that!”
Erylin shook her head, trying to cast aside the wild thoughts in her mind, but regardless, a definitive truth had already been quietly planted in her heart.
Lillian had lost control.
“It hurts so much...”
Erylin tightly clutched her chest, enduring all her physical discomfort as she slowly got out of the hospital bed. She was still wearing the student uniform that represented the Typhon Chain.
“This should be Persephone's ward, but it's not Lillian's room...”
Erylin murmured, scanning the room as her thoughts gradually cleared. At this moment, she only wanted to figure out one thing.
What on earth had happened?
Outside, the clamor of voices was deafening. Standing behind the door, Erylin took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. When she finally stepped out, the overwhelming noise that hit her almost knocked her off her feet.
“Where are the test results for the third batch of neutralizing agents? Why haven't they been delivered yet? It's been almost ten minutes!”
“Instructor! We've tried everything, but the analysis plate is already overloaded...”
“Stop making excuses!”
“If it's broken, go find another one! If you can't find one, write it out by hand! Is this all you've learned over the past few years? Hurry up and archive all the failed samples from the last round, and start a new gradient test!”
“But...”
“What are you still standing there for? Go do it! We don't have this much time to waste! Think about the instructors who are still dealing with the monsters—they're buying us time!”
“Yes, ma'am!”
At this moment, Persephone was in complete chaos. Several hospital beds had been pushed into the corners, piled high with bundles of herbs tagged with different colored labels. The desk originally used for administrative work was now cluttered with various experimental instruments, crudely repurposed into a temporary laboratory bench.
It was the first time Erylin had ever seen Persephone in such disarray.
“Monsters?”
As Erylin was still processing the instructor's words, a voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
“Erylin! Oh my goodness, why did you come out on your own!”
Erylin turned around and cried out in surprise, “Instructor?”
Perseline tossed aside the dozen or so documents in her arms and rushed over to Erylin, her hands hurriedly checking her over.
“How do you feel? Do you have any discomfort? Is your head still spinning? Can you see how many fingers I'm holding up?”
“Um, Instructor...”
“No, I need to take you for an examination right away!”
“Wait, wait! Instructor, I'm fine!”
Seeing that Perseline was about to drag her away, Erylin quickly pulled herself free.
“Are you really okay?”
“Actually, it just feels like my chest was...”
Erylin's body suddenly stiffened. The agonizing pain of having her heart pierced surged back like a tidal wave. Fear consumed her eyes, and her legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
No!
There's no time for an examination!
I have to ask about Lillian's condition first!
“Erylin? Are you alright?”
Perseline looked at her with deep concern.
“I'm fine. I probably just haven't eaten in too long, so I'm a bit weak, haha...”
As she spoke, Erylin suppressed all the fear and discomfort in her heart, forcing a weak smile.
“Phew, that's a relief.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“About... ten hours, I think?”
“Instructor, what exactly happened here? Why is it so chaotic?”
Perseline sighed, her expression weary as she replied, “All the monsters in the Echo Forest have suddenly fallen into a state of frenzy. Most of the instructors are there right now, and the higher-ups have demanded we find a way to quell their mania as quickly as possible.”
“Currently, the faculty and students of Persephone and Hermetica have joined forces to develop an antidote that can cure the monsters of their frenzy.”
“But as you can see, progress isn't going very smoothly. In fact, it's quite bad.”
Perseline shook her head helplessly.
“A riot? Monsters? Why? Why would something like this happen?”
At her questions, Perseline's eyes darted away guiltily. She first picked up the documents she had dropped on the floor, then replied, “How about this, Erylin? Come with me to my office first. I have some medicine there that might help you...”
“Medicine?”
A flash of confusion crossed Erylin's eyes.
“Do I need medicine because I was in a hospital bed? Instructor, what illness do I have...”
“Ah! Sorry, I misspoke. I meant some food. Didn't you say you were hungry? I just remembered I have some uneaten food in my office.”
“Instructor, have you seen Lillian? She was supposed to be with me...”
“Oh, wait! Erylin, I suddenly remembered that one of Persephone's instructors said you must go...”
“Instructor!”
Tears welled up in Erylin's eyes.
The more Perseline tried to cover it up, the more the unease in her heart grew.
“Lillian... where is she now?”
This time, the one who answered Erylin was not Perseline, but a voice coming from the students nearby.
“It's because that witch is still alive! Her mana is still continuously affecting those monsters, which is why the antidotes aren't working!”
“Hey! You! Stop talking, keep your voice down...”
A student wearing a Persephone uniform was shouting while holding a stack of documents. His companion quickly grabbed his arm to quiet him down. The commotion drew the attention of most of the people around them.
“What is there to hide? High-grade purifying potions should have been able to clear the toxins from those monsters! Why isn't it working now? Don't you know the reason yourself?”
“Hey, hey! Stop it...”
“This is a complete waste of effort! We've been running in circles with zero progress! Isn't it all because of that witch out there? Wouldn't it be easier to just eliminate her? Why are we being so stupid and stubborn about this!”
“A... witch?”
Erylin murmured in disbelief, tears shimmering in her eyes.
“So, everything that's happening here, the frenzied monsters, and everyone's frantic state... is it all because of...”
“Lillian?”
A girl in the crowd seemed to recognize Erylin. Pointing a finger at her, she gasped, “Senior Erylin?”
In an instant, every gaze in the room followed the girl's finger, turning in unison toward Erylin. But when they saw her, they only beheld a grief-stricken, dazed young woman.
The student who had been shouting just now also noticed her.
“Huh? Why is Senior Erylin here? Why is she crying...”
The companion who had been trying to stop him couldn't take it anymore and punched him in the stomach.
“Hey, what are you do—”
Clutching his stomach, the student was about to swear when an incredibly quiet, furious whisper hissed in his ear.
“Damn it! Are you a fucking idiot?!”
“I told you to shut the hell up! Don't you know that the witch outside is the very person who stayed by Erylin's side every single day?!”
“Huh?”
The student was completely dumbfounded.
“Why do you think nobody else mentioned it? Did it have to be you? Do you think you're some kind of genius? Do you think you're the first one to realize?”
“Everyone knows! And Erylin literally got injured and knocked unconscious this afternoon because of this! It's because that's the person she cares about most that nobody dared to say a single word about it!”
“Don't you know how much Erylin usually looks after the underclassmen? Did you really have to shatter the illusion right now?”
The student who had stopped him suppressed the urge to punch him in the face again, shook his head, and walked away.
Now, kneeling on one knee, the student felt gazes stabbing him from all directions.
“Hey, what's going on? I just got here. Why is it so quiet? Why has everyone stopped working?”
“See that guy? He just made Erylin cry.”
“Holy crap! Someone scolded Erylin until she cried?!”
In the silent hall, the voice carried effortlessly across the entire floor. Instructors and students in other rooms turned their attention toward them.
“What? Someone beat up Senior Erylin and made her cry?!”
“What?! Someone used forbidden magic on Senior Erylin?!!!”
“Who the hell is it!”
“No, wait, I didn't...”
“Is he the one who was insulting Erylin here?”
“It must be him, right?”
“Wait! I didn't—”
“What's there to say? Get him!”
Instantly, the scene descended into utter chaos.
Rate on N.U.
