Chapter 297: A Burden? You Are My Pillar of Support...
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 297: A Burden? You Are My Pillar of Support...
"She’s... gone?"
I watched as the Dean’s clone vanished, feeling a bit dazed.
After those initial questions, I had chatted with the Dean about a few other things to flesh out my understanding of the situation. I realized that I was now forced to wade into these muddy waters. It looked like Sister Bai’s hopes for me were going to be dashed once again.
I was naturally willing to do whatever the Dean asked. After all, I was beholden to her. From the moment I showed signs of being unusual, the Dean had already taken notice of me. My "smooth sailing" all the way to this point was largely due to her giving me a push from behind.
This included, but was not limited to, the Unity of Knowledge and Action spellbook and other benefits I hadn't even fully realized yet.
So, the only remaining problem was Sister Bai.
Sister Bai and I had both signed confidentiality contracts. She knew that, but she certainly didn't know as much as I did. I needed an excuse to convince her, or... perhaps no excuse at all.
After all, Sister Bai had just called me not too long ago, and now I was uncharacteristically about to go against her wishes.
This wasn't something I could achieve just by being headstrong. It was just like back in the Fool's Village Secret Realm; I thought everything would be fine as long as Sister Bai was safe outside, but seeing her worry for me made me realize I had oversimplified things.
"Sigh... I'm overthinking again."
I slapped my forehead. I realized I was starting to spiral into a dead end again. This kind of thing should naturally be discussed with Sister Bai directly. What was there that I couldn't tell her?
Well, maybe there were some things—like the matter of the Great Spellbook. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, but rather that even just knowing about such things could bring about unimaginable disaster.
So, I gave Sister Bai another call. I planned to tell her some things—at least enough so that if I explained it clearly, she would understand whether what I was doing actually had any meaning.
The meeting place... was the Witch Cat Cafe.
I was already very familiar with this place. I had even met the "boss" behind it, and there might be a chance for cooperation in the future, so I naturally felt a sense of kinship with the shop.
Just like last time, I arrived at a themed cat room—a private booth. After all, the things Sister Bai and I were going to discuss couldn't be overheard by outsiders.
"Little Dark Cloud~ What a coincidence, seeing you again~"
As I walked into the Witch Cat Cafe, I bumped right into that pure black kitten I had met before.
I stepped forward and scooped it up, ignoring its "meow-wu" protests as I carried it into the themed cat room.
I ordered a dessert and coffee for myself and a cat food set for Little Dark Cloud. Then, I sat back and quietly waited for Sister Bai to arrive.
Before long, and before Little Dark Cloud could finish more than a few bites of its treat, Sister Bai arrived.
"Sister Bai, you're here." I quickly put down the treat and the kitten. I hadn't expected her to arrive so fast.
"Xiao Han, you contacted me so urgently and even asked to meet at the cat cafe. Is something wrong?"
"Yes, there are indeed some things I want to talk to you about," I said with a nod.
"Is it related to this sleeping curse?" Sister Bai asked tentatively.
The outside world didn't know the culprit behind this abnormal slumber, so the name circulating on the Academy Network was the most direct one: the Sleeping Curse.
"It is related, but it's a bit different from what you might be thinking." I pushed the drink I had ordered toward her, momentarily unsure of how to start. If I just blurted it out without any preamble, she definitely wouldn't agree, right?
"So it really is related to that? The death at the Holy Angel Academy has already spread across the Academy Network. The situation is looking grim. Xiao Han, you called me here... you don't mean to tell me you want to get involved in this, do you?"
Bai Yu already had her suspicions. Her greatest fear was the person she cared about doing something foolish.
"Sister Bai, I know the cause of this incident. Let's put the serious talk aside for a moment and just listen to me, okay?" I spoke softly.
"Alright." Bai Yu nodded. She was willing to hear Xiao Han's explanation. She understood that if Xiao Han truly wanted to do something, she might not be able to stop her, but at the very least, she wanted to know why.
"Then I'll begin." I nodded and snapped my fingers. A soundproofing spell barrier appeared. This was just a small spellbook, providing physical soundproofing, but it was enough for now.
There were powerful spellbooks for soundproofing with high consumption, but I didn't need that level of isolation yet.
"Sister Bai, do you remember what happened to us in the Fool's Village Secret Realm?" I thought for a moment, deciding to start the story from the Fool's Dream. If I omitted the details of the Great Spellbook, it would still make sense.
"In the Fool's Village Secret Realm? Do you mean the collapse of the secret realm, or some other encounter?"
"I mean the Nightmares I encountered—the Nightmares that are part of the Fool's Dream."
"Nightmares that are part of the Fool's Dream... Nightmares? Wait, are you saying this current incident is actually caused by Nightmares?" Bai Yu was naturally clever; with a hint and her own associations, she quickly arrived at the answer.
"You're very close. This incident is indeed caused by Nightmares. Nightmares are part of the Fool's Dream. When the Fool's Village Secret Realm collapsed, the Fool's Dream had nowhere to go, and the sealed Nightmares were even worse off. Of course, the Dean also had a hand in this."
"The Dean is involved in this too? Wait... Xiao Han, how do you know so much?"
Bai Yu’s brow furrowed deeply. She hadn't expected this to involve the Dean. The Dean had just come out to calm everyone's emotions... the water here was deeper than she thought.
"The Dean told me. Did you forget that she entrusted the Fool's Dream to me? You can think of the Fool's Village Secret Realm as a setup by the Dean herself. Our arrival and my discoveries helped her a great deal. Beyond that, I can't say more."
"I understand. If you can't say it, don't force it. I'm not the type of person who needs to know everything."
"Thank you for understanding, Sister Bai. Anyway, after the Fool's Village Secret Realm was destroyed, the Dean accomplished what she wanted, and I entered her field of vision. You know about my special trait, right? My Spirit Vision..."
"Yes. So, you were valued by the Dean because of that?" As she spoke, a trace of worry appeared in Bai Yu’s eyes. Being valued by an existence like the Dean wasn't necessarily a good thing. It also represented greater danger. At the Dean's level, even a minor ripple could cause the small people around her to be utterly destroyed.
This wasn't an exaggeration. To be valued by the Dean, one had to demonstrate corresponding value. This wasn't something Xiao Han could bear right now—at least, that’s what Bai Yu thought.
"Something like that... Sister Bai, cheer up. This is a good thing, isn't it? Why do you always want to live a life as peaceful as an ordinary person?"
"I... I..." Bai Yu didn't know how to explain. Could she just say it was her Subject?
The Ordinary Subject... it always made her subconsciously adopt that perspective. The ordinary pursue peace... it was an instinctive behavior.
"It's okay. You have your convictions, Sister Bai, but I have mine too~ That's why we need to find a balance between our differences." I shook my head, breaking the awkwardness. Did Sister Bai have things she didn't want to talk about either?
Just as she had said, she wouldn't pry into my secrets either.
"Actually, Sister Bai, Nightmares don't cause death. Though there is some danger; after all, we've both seen those monsters."
"Yes." Bai Yu nodded, recalling the time she was pulled into the dream by that monster. Though it was harrowing, it hadn't caused any actual physical harm. "Xiao Han, are you saying that the reported death was actually fake?"
"No, it's real. But it wasn't caused by a Nightmare," I said, shaking my head.
"Not a Nightmare? Then why did you bring them up..."
"The slumber is caused by Nightmares, but the death is not. They are two separate things," I corrected.
"It's like... %&# mmm..." Just as I wanted to continue, my mouth suddenly stopped cooperating, my words becoming slurred until I couldn't make a sound at all.
I realized that what I was trying to express had touched upon the implications of the Script.
To an average person, this wouldn't have conveyed any useful information, but Sister Bai had also signed a confidentiality contract. Because I was trying to convey a hint, the contract's forced constraint could no longer be bypassed.
"Xiao Han, what's wrong? Xiao Han... you're..."
Seeing my abnormality, Bai Yu instinctively panicked and tried to check on me, but I calmed her down with a gesture.
She gradually understood what was happening. I had been silenced. Bai Yu quickly realized what could cause such an abrupt silencing.
A silent understanding passed between us.
After a moment, I felt the power of the contract dissipate, and I took a deep breath.
"Whew~ Okay~ Anyway, that's the gist of it. The things we've experienced... well, I don't know how to describe it. We can't speak of these things. I know even more than you do, Sister Bai... Didn't you originally hope I wouldn't get sucked into this whirlpool?"
"Yes... I understand... but... that's all the more reason you shouldn't get involved. You're telling me all this just to reject my wishes, aren't you?"
"Exactly... but Sister Bai... you still don't quite understand. The efforts of us little people have always been about surviving in the cracks. What looks like effort to us is like watching ants play from a higher perspective."
"I understand that feeling of powerlessness. That's why I know you shouldn't go against these things. There's no benefit."
"I'm not going against them—at least not since I figured things out... Besides, I'm not just 'getting involved.' I'm striving... striving for a... chance to leave this quagmire once and for all."
I looked at Sister Bai earnestly. If I could successfully use the Dean's power to sever my Ley Line Shackles, it would be equivalent to escaping the Script. Sister Bai would become a Transcendent Witch before long and could sever her own Ley Line Shackles as well. At that point, both of us would have tickets to leave this world. It was almost like getting into the same university after the College Entrance Exam—the sky would be the limit for us to soar...
Though it might be a bit ambitious to think that way, at least it was something to look forward to, right?
"Once and for all? How is that possible... how could there be a way to do that?" Bai Yu shook her head.
"Why wouldn't it be possible? Sister Bai, aren't you about to become a Transcendent Witch?"
"That... actually, I'm not sure." Bai Yu instinctively looked at her palm, then clenched it into a fist. "I seem to be missing one final, crucial step... but I don't know what it is. My mentor says I haven't figured it out myself. Once I do, I'll break through that final layer..."
"So that means you're just a hair's breadth away, right? Sister Bai, have you thought about where you'll go once you become a Transcendent Witch? Outside the world?" I pressed.
"I... to be honest, I haven't thought about it. Outside the world... that's a sight I've never seen. I've heard that outside the world is the Void, and the Void is infinitely vast, called the Endless Void... but I don't feel like such a massive place would have a home for me..."
"But the world we live in isn't exactly beautiful either, is it?"
"But this is the world that gave birth to us and raised us..."
"Is that how you feel, Sister Bai?"
But I didn't feel that way. This world's malice toward me surpassed anyone's imagination.
First, there was the Innate Spirit Vision that nearly drove me mad, then a terrible family, and now I was trapped in a Script... If I hadn't met Sister Bai on the frontline... I don't know how long I could have endured in such a situation alone.
I felt like an outsider. To my family, I was an outsider. To this world, I was the same—utterly out of place.
Sister Bai’s thoughts might be related to the so-called Ley Line Shackles, making her dependent on this world and giving her a strong sense of belonging.
"Yeah... Xiao Han, what about you?"
"Me? I want to see what it's like outside the world. Is it a sea of stars, a place where myriad races stand tall, or a dark forest... Unknowns and curiosity are what drive me to chase the things I don't know."
"I see." Bai Yu lowered her head with a bitter smile. When she thought about it, she could guess why. Perhaps it was the pressure of the family environment Xiao Han had always lived in.
Longing for the outside world, having no sense of belonging to her original family, and by extension, the entire world.
"Sister Bai, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. It's nothing."
"Good. Then, Sister Bai, would you be willing... in the future... to go with me... to see what the Void looks like?"
"See it... together. Yes! Okay. Since you want to see it, Xiao Han, I will definitely stay by your side." Bai Yu nodded heavily, as if she had made a firm resolution.
"Hey~ Don't make it sound like you're unwilling and only changing your mind because of me. I want you to truly want it, okay?"
"Yes, I truly want to."
"Then it's a promise... forget it, let's not set any flags. Anyway, since you understand my thoughts, let's get back to the main point... Sister Bai, have you heard of Ley Line Shackles?"
"Ley Line Shackles?"
"I guess not." Seeing her expression, I nodded. "Ley Line Shackles are the things that keep us trapped in this world. They are what we must sever before we can leave. Sister Bai, once you promote to a Transcendent Witch, you can sever your own Ley Line Shackles. But I can't..."
As I said this... I realized something. If reaching the level of a Transcendent Witch allowed one to sever Ley Line Shackles... then couldn't any Transcendent Witch help me? Did I really have to owe the Dean a favor?
But things probably weren't that simple. I remembered that when the concept of Ley Line Shackles was first mentioned, Teacher Ji Niang, who accompanied me to see the Dean, had a moment of shock.
Either there were other secrets to severing Ley Line Shackles, or they could only be severed by oneself, making it much more... difficult to use outside help?
Maybe I could ask Teacher Ji Niang.
"Severing Ley Line Shackles?" Bai Yu repeated my words.
"Yes. Severing them doesn't just mean you can leave the world; it means breaking your connection to it. That's exactly what I need to do. Because once they are severed, it also means I won't be affected by %*&... mmm..."
"This... I... I understand..." Seeing me silenced again, how could Bai Yu not understand?
"But it's still too dangerous... I think..." At this point, Bai Yu suddenly paused. She closed her eyes in deep thought as if reflecting on herself. Then, she opened them and looked at me seriously, staring into my eyes. "If—and I mean if—I go with you... if I'm with you... will I be a burden to you?"
Hearing those words from Sister Bai, I smiled with a sense of relief. I tried to speak, and the silence had vanished.
"How could you be? Sister Bai, you could never be a burden to me."
You are my pillar of support...