Chapter 252

Chapter Thirty-Nine She Has Seen the Divine

“Thank you, Sarah.”

I placed the book on the table and did not rush to sit down and read it, as…

It was about time for lunch.

I hadn’t eaten much in the morning, and by the time I returned from the library, I was already feeling a bit hungry. It was important to fill my stomach first.

Once the three of them had taken off their wet uniforms and hung them outside the window to dry, then changed into regular clothes, we four went to the cafeteria for lunch.

At noon, the cafeteria was even more crowded than in the morning, with almost every stall line up with queues. The bustling atmosphere became momentarily quiet as I stepped through the door, but then grew louder again. As I walked through the crowd, I could faintly hear several people whispering my name.

“Peyelo, those people are stealing glances at you…”

Sarah smiled with a hint of schadenfreude, and even Sophia grumbled discontentedly, “That short fellow who flirts around…”

“Shut up, both of you.”

It’s not like I wanted this! Annoying…

But no matter where I went, countless eyes were on me. Although I was long used to being the center of attention, this made it difficult for me to eat freely. Even though I was very hungry, I could only pretend to be a lady, holding the fork and knife, eating slowly and delicately.

There was no help for it; I cared about my face.

So, this meal was quite frustrating, almost as if I hadn’t eaten at all.

In the end, I had to ask Sarah and the others for help as usual. Due to the cafeteria’s rule against wasting food, the three girls took turns going to the stalls selling grilled steak and pastries, trying to get as much takeout food as possible so that I could eat later in the dorm.

Except for Daisy, who still found it hard to bring herself to do it, the other two were already quite adept at lying, doing so without changing their expressions.

“Brother caught a cold, I want to take another piece of steak, he needs to eat to recover quickly… Uncle, please…”

Hearing Sophia’s coquettish voice, I shivered involuntarily.

But this tactic worked. The uncle probably thought she was cute and obedient, so he gave her two extra pieces of steak and winked at her before she left.

Sophia was annoyed by the uncle’s ambiguous attitude for a long time, muttering all the way back.

“What does he mean! He’s already that old, can’t he behave properly…”

“I don’t understand, it’s like he’s blind…”

But every time, it was Sophia who brought back the most food.

I am grateful for such roommates.

Back in the dorm, Sarah and Sophia rested briefly and then left soon after, as they both had classes in the afternoon.

But I didn’t, so I could quietly stay in the dorm and read.

As I chewed on the beef, I sat down at the desk, placed the book in front of me, and opened it, looking back once.

Daisy was sleeping soundly on the bed. She seemed to have no classes either. Perhaps the horseback riding practice in the morning was really tiring, and Daisy, whose physical fitness wasn’t great, naturally couldn’t handle it and fell asleep as soon as she came back.

The entire dorm was unusually quiet.

So quiet that I could clearly hear the breathing of the sleeping girl.

A black-haired, black-eyed girl sat伏坐在木桌前，将书在桌面摊开，逐字逐句认真阅读。她时而皱起眉头，时而轻咬指甲，微风撩起布帘，煦暖的光自窗外洒进来，照上少女精致似人偶般的脸。

Time passed quietly.

The girl felt a bit tired from reading. She lifted her head, rubbed her sore eyes, turned to look out the window at the clear blue sky, her gaze flickering, as if hoping to see a black raven appear.

Of course, the raven did not appear.

Not long after, the sleeping Daisy got up behind her.

She yawned and walked to the girl’s back, curiously bending down to look at the book in the girl’s hands, but soon lost interest, walking away to pour herself a glass of water and placing it on the desk beside the girl’s right hand. Sensing something, the girl raised her head again, and the two smiled at each other.

Daisy walked back to the bed and sat down, staring blankly. She was shy by nature and usually spoke little. At this moment, she naturally wouldn’t disturb the girl who was reading intently. She just looked a bit bored, sitting there for a long time before getting up and walking to the window, continuing to stare blankly at the lawn and flowers outside.

Even if she felt bored, Daisy had no desire to go out. Being poor at socializing, apart from the three in the dorm, she didn’t seem to have anyone else to talk to. She stayed quietly by the girl’s side, occasionally refilling the girl’s cup when it was empty.

Outside, under the pleasant atmosphere in the small room, the sky gradually darkened unnoticed.

Daisy lit the candle on the desk, and the flame flickered, casting a dim yellow light over the dorm.

After a moment, under the light, the girl who had been reading for a long time lifted her head, stretching her long arms.

“Hmm… hmm~”

She frowned slightly, her face showing a hint of disappointment, and impatiently flipped a few pages of the half-read book, dropping it onto the table with a “thud.”

What was “The Pain of Love”? This was simply Teresa’s autobiography…

Feeling somewhat frustrated, I scratched my head and suddenly felt as if I had wasted an entire afternoon.

The content of the book was almost no different from the biography I had seen in the library in the morning. It started with Teresa’s childhood and continued to talk about her life. Only, in “Love’s,”

In “The Sorrow of Love,” Teresa detailed this process through her own perspective, recounting her innermost feelings as if telling a story.

It was like the excitement of being a novice nun, the thrill of discovering her talent, and the feeling when she was appreciated by others. How pitiful people were, how much they needed divine salvation… That’s all there was to it. The content of the book was uplifting, almost always mentioning the great God in every three sentences, truly a work of a devout believer.

Therefore, the more I read, the more annoyed I became. Especially after what had happened, I saw through Teresa’s true face. Seeing her describe herself in the book as a kind savior… Even though I knew that this might have been the truth at some point, my anger was hard to suppress.

Who cares about your affairs…

Creak—

The dormitory door opened, and Sarah walked in recklessly.

“Woah, why so quiet! What are you two doing?”

She seemed to be in a good mood, bouncing over to me, and seeing me staring blankly with the book on the side, she curiously asked, “No way, did you finish it so quickly?”

“Not yet.”

I shook my head gently.

“Are… Are you not happy?”

Perhaps my voice sounded somewhat downcast, and Sarah noticed my mood change, asking cautiously.

“No.”

I quickly rubbed my face and smiled at her.

“I was just thinking about something.”

“Is it because of this book that you thought of that gentle person?”

…Gentle person?

Sarah seemed to misunderstand; did she think I was sad about Teresa’s death…

“I never dared to believe… She was such a great and good person, how could she suddenly… be taken by those damned abyss monsters…”

She picked up the book from the desk, hugging it tightly to her chest.

“She did so many good deeds, saving so many people… I’ve actually read this book several times. The more I read, the more I can’t help but wonder why she could be so capable, achieving so much… If only I could be as capable as her…”

“Paillot, do you think the same?”

Another person who takes Teresa as their life goal…

I didn’t know how to answer her, tilting my head and pondering for a long time.

“Her talent is excellent.”

“It’s not just talent, Teresa is a person with genuine faith, truly!” Sarah pressed the book against her chin, her eyes full of admiration, “I especially admire those who persistently spend their entire lives earnestly working towards their goals… Teresa is just such a person. You may not understand her, but once you finish reading this book, you will surely like her too!”

“Is that so?”

I turned my gaze to the window, listening to the gentle breeze.

“Of course! She is my hero, the greatest woman!”

Sarah’s words made me feel annoyed, but she continued talking without realizing it.

“In my opinion, someone as great as the teacher can’t possibly die… She must have returned to the embrace of the divine. After all, she had seen the divine before, so it must be that way!”

“What… did you say?”

After a moment of mental blankness, I widened my eyes and turned back, looking at Sarah’s stunned face.

“She has seen the divine? How do you know…”

“She wrote it in the book! Oh, you haven’t reached that part yet?”

Sarah immediately flipped open “The Sorrow of Love,” searching through the last few pages, her eyes lighting up as she turned the book around and held it in front of me.

“Look.”

Following her finger, I looked and saw a single line of small text written on a blank page.

[That night, I saw the divine.]

That night…

I quickly snatched the book, flipping through the pages before and after this one.

The previous page talked about Teresa becoming the new Holy Maiden. The grand ceremony was approaching, and she was filled with passion and determination, her words brimming with fervent hope for the future.

If this were a novel, it would end here, and the protagonist would receive a perfect and beautiful ending.

However, turning to the next page, an abrupt sentence appeared.

The whole page contained only this sentence, with plenty of blank space around it.

I was momentarily stunned, suddenly remembering that when I was still in the academy, after class, I caught up with Teresa and had a brief conversation with her.

“You were originally supposed to be the next Holy Maiden… So. I wanted to ask you, have you ever seen the divine?”

“…I suppose my cultivation was far from enough to become the Holy Maiden. So… I haven’t seen the divine either.”

I still remembered her expression then.

After that moment of surprise, she showed a complex, sorrowful expression that was hard to put into words.

At that time, I thought it was just an illusion.

Back then, I didn’t know she was a member of the Truth Gate, and she didn’t know I was a Knight of the Pope. We were simply teacher and student.

She had no reason to lie.

But according to the meaning of this autobiography, if I understood correctly…

On a certain night years ago, before the grand ceremony, Teresa had once seen the divine.