Volume 2, Chapter 32-1 – My Precious Darling

That cup of coffee just now had contained far too many implications, yet in the end, they still failed to make any sense of it.

“What a riddler.”

Remedios walked downstairs, her little leather shoes coming to a stop on the crimson staircase beneath the night sky.

She stretched, her tone full of disapproval.

“If she has no intention of explaining herself clearly and can’t even answer her students’ questions, what kind of professor is she?”

“I think so too.”

Stella followed behind her.

“Forget it. Today’s coursework is over anyway,” Remedios said as she turned around, her fingers brushing along the stone wall. “The rest is all free time. I’m planning to go expand my knowledge a little.”

“Hmm? What are you planning to do?” Stella asked instinctively.

“Of course, the research I just mentioned.” Remedios looked Dorothy, Stella’s little attachment, up and down with great interest.

“Research? You already have a topic this quickly? What is it?”

“The world inside the mirror, of course.”

“Even if it’s only a mirror, there should still be an independent special space inside it.” Remedios said, gazing at Dorothy while rubbing her hands together excitedly. “Since the Girl in the Mirror can walk out of the mirror and step into our world, then conversely… why can’t we enter the mirror?”

Dorothy shrank her neck under Remedios’ gaze.

“There happens to be a pretty good full-length mirror in the Lionheart Society’s activity room.” Remedios said, inviting Stella. “Want to come take a look? We might make an unexpected discovery very soon.”

Stella stopped walking.

She remembered Lainia, whom she had left sleeping soundly in her private dorm room before heading out.

Reαⅾ оn КаtReaⅾіngCαfе

She should probably go back and check on things first.

“I’ll head back to the dorm for a bit.” Stella said, lowering her eyes. “I’ll come over later.”

“Sure.”

Remedios agreed readily, then directly took Dorothy by the hand.

“Come along, my little cutie,” Miss Book Demon said with pursed lips and a smile. “I can’t wait to play around with your Girl in the Mirror.”

“Please… please don’t say it like that… It sounds a little strange.”

Dorothy struggled a few times, but Remedios still easily dragged her away.

She looked back every few steps and said goodbye in a soft, sweet voice.

“See you later, Mama.”

“…”

The surroundings fell quiet.

Now only Cheryl remained standing silently nearby, her scarlet eyes fixed on the darkness outside the window.

“Want to go back together?” Stella asked.

Cheryl made no sound and did not move. There was not even the slightest rise and fall from breathing, while half her body had sunk into shadow.

“What’s wrong?” Stella looked at her strangely.

Cheryl raised her eyes. Aside from two tiny Stellas reflected within them, there was only a sea of crimson.

Read оո КαtRеаԁіոgCаfe

“I recharged your meal card. It should be enough for all of you to use for a long time,” Cheryl suddenly said.

Stella only felt that the sudden change of topic was rather abrupt.

“I also paid the fine for the courtyard. I used the Valentine family’s name, so Professor Katerina probably won’t make things difficult for you anymore.” Cheryl said very, very softly. “And as for the ghost… I think after everything this time, that matter should more or less be over. No one should suspect your human slave anymore.”

Stella frowned slightly.

‘Why did this sound… so wrong?’

‘Rather than concern, it sounded more like… she was putting her affairs in order before death.’

“Are you okay?” Stella turned around and faced her directly. “What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

Cheryl shifted her gaze away.

Within the Abyss’ ever-present darkness, a massive blood moon hung high in the night sky, radiating dazzling moonlight filled with an ominous aura and shrouding the entirety of Lilith School beneath a faint veil of blood.

“Tonight is a blood moon.” Cheryl said softly. “The Sacred Blood Grail is gradually overflowing. For some reason, the tides of the Abyss are extremely violent this year. The progress is much faster than I expected.”

She raised her hand and opened her palm.

The thorn mark upon it was gradually turning a vivid scarlet.

“According to my estimate, it will soon condense into physical form.” Cheryl said, curling her fingers inward. “And then, it will be time for the Laxia Ritual between the two of us.”

‘Oh…’

So it was finally this matter’s turn.

Stella silently went over her schedule in her head.

Reαԁ оո КаtRеaԁіոgСαfе

First, she had to clean up Dorothy’s mess. Then she happily acquired a succubus daughter. Then she had to deal with the mystical and cryptic Professor Shanoti and received a bizarre divination predicting a difficult fate. Now that she had finally managed to catch her breath, it was at last Cheryl’s turn to shove a death-match notice into her hands.

‘Is this ever going to end?’

Her schedule was packed so tightly that it was downright more absurd than that of an ascetic cultivator from the Holy See.

‘Forget it.’

‘For something this deadly, why not consult the miraculous Primordial Doctrine?’

‘Mm… There has to be a way.’

The Book of Holy Words said it clearly. In theory, no matter how difficult the situation, there was always a most appropriate solution. The more chaotic things became, and the more one wanted to give up on everything, the more important it was not to forget this point.

“It’s nothing,” Stella said. “I’ll think of something. There will always be another way, so don’t panic.”

“There is no other way.”

Cheryl interrupted her.

“The Corridor of Blood is not merely an arena. It is an isolated island severed from the present world.”

“In the family’s history, there were once two ancestors known as the Twin Stars. Because they were evenly matched, they fell into a prolonged stalemate and even attempted to seek coexistence inside.”

“In the end, the gates never opened. They both eventually withered away inside and became nourishment for the corridor.”

Cheryl lowered her eyes, her gaze falling upon the side of Stella’s neck.

“So… I won’t show you any mercy… Elder Sister…”

She said sharply.

Rеaⅾ οո ΚаtRеαԁiոgСafe

“If you want to live, then kill me. Don’t make me look down on you.”

“Prepare to face death, Stella.”

After coldly saying those words, she turned sideways and brushed past Stella.

At the end of the corridor, just before she stepped into the shadows, the girl stopped and merely turned her head slightly.

The evening wind lifted her wine-red hair. The disheveled strands covered the side of her face, leaving only a sliver of pale jaw visible.

“…Good night, Elder Sister.”

Her voice faded into the wind.

Only Stella remained in the corridor, together with the increasingly crimson moon outside the window.

Stella sighed.

“…Who says something they don’t mean like that?”

Translator Note

NOOO CHERRYLLLLLL!! TVT