Chapter 422: Chapter 422 ’The Watcher’s’ Signature_1
The next day, Rose Iron Prison Core Zone Library.
"...And so, with the help of the watchful elf, the princess lifted the curse from the hero, freeing him from the wizard’s control. The disheartened hero said to the princess in despair, ’What a terrible thing I have done. I failed to kill the wizard, and instead, I almost killed you. I no longer deserve to be your knight. Please allow me to leave.’
However, at that moment the princess picked up the disheartened hero’s sword and said, ’Whether or not you are worthy is for me to decide. Since you can’t do it alone, then let’s do it together. I have come to understand that one must save one’s own destiny. My knight, are you willing to join me in killing the evil wizard and lifting the curse that is upon me?’
The hero was initially surprised, then burst into joyous laughter, ’You are the bravest princess I have ever met. I will gladly follow you to death!’
Thus, the hero set out on the road to vanquish the wizard for the third time. No one knows if he ultimately succeeded, but this time, he had the hand of his beloved princess to hold."
Asenna read out the story with a flat tone, then lifted her face and asked Avansa, who was sitting opposite her, "So, what do you think of the story?"
Avansa tilted her head to one side, "Your reading voice is much worse than the instructors’, lacking emotion..."
"You’re not so different from me," Asenna retorted expressionlessly, "I was just asking for your opinion on the story."
Today, Avansa had applied to borrow books from the library after class by herself. Seeing that the library was empty bar the guard on duty, Asenna decided to keep Avansa back to give some feedback on the story she was preparing to submit for publication.
"I think the story is very good," Avansa nodded.
"Good, then this time it should pass," Asenna let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you really going to submit it to ’Children’s Dream’?" Avansa asked.
"Of course."
"What pen name will you use?"
"Guardian Spirit," Asenna answered."
After thinking for a while, Avansa ventured, "Congratulations?"
"The submission hasn’t been accepted yet, what’s there to congratulate? Just wishing someone success is enough for now," Asenna calmly corrected, aware that the hitman in front of her was completely ignorant of social graces.
"I wish you success," Avansa said, following Asenna’s instruction.
"I’ll take your good words," Asenna responded in a normal manner.
"Then, if you succeed, could you get me an autograph from ’The Watcher’?" Avansa suddenly asked.
"Getting in touch with other authors isn’t guaranteed just because you have a successful submission," Asenna said, "and it’s said that even the magazine staff doesn’t know ’The Watcher’s’ contact information. ’The Watcher’ has always submitted anonymously through different mailboxes in the city to the magazine."
"Is he from this city?"
"It’s hard to say. Didn’t he say all those stories were collected from his travels?" Asenna shrugged, "Honestly, I kind of want his autograph too."
In Asenna’s opinion, the fairy tales submitted by "The Watcher" were commendable in both narrative and depth, and even as an adult, she was quite fond of them.
Even if he didn’t create those stories himself, being able to collect so many good tales, he must be a widely traveled scholar. How she wished she could have a face-to-face chat with this person...
Just then, the two guards stationed outside the door saluted in unison and Aiden strode into the library, immediately spotting the two of them: "Avansa? What are you doing here?"
"The instructor said my grammar homework was poorly done and told me to come borrow a reference book," Avansa replied honestly.
"I see, good luck with that," Aiden nodded.
"Are you here to borrow a book, Warden?" Asenna asked.
"Yes."
"That’s rare," Asenna remarked.
"I stayed in the prison for a few days and forgot to buy last week’s magazine. Now it’s sold out, and it suddenly came to mind," Aiden explained, "Do you still have it here, last week’s ’Lineman Weekly’?"
"The magazine full of cartoons?" Asenna inquired.
"They’re comics," Aiden corrected.
"You’re too late, she just borrowed it," Asenna pointed towards Avansa.
Aiden turned his gaze towards Avansa.
Avansa glanced at Aiden, took the magazine from beneath the reference book she had borrowed, and then carefully hid it behind her.
"I’m not going to fight you for it," Aiden said with a resigned smile, "I’ll still respect the first-come, first-served order."
After thinking it over and hesitating for a while, Avansa finally handed the magazine back out, "Here."
"Oh?" Aiden was a bit surprised.
"I still need to, do homework, I’ll borrow it again tomorrow," Avansa said, "You go ahead."
Aiden looked at Avansa thoughtfully for a moment. The girl seemed to have become more humane than before.
"Alright, thanks, I’ll return it as soon as possible," Aiden said with a smile, taking the book.
"Warden, please register this, even you need to follow the library rules," Asenna handed over the borrowing register and asked Aiden to sign, "Don’t forget the deadline."
"Got it," Aiden casually signed his name on it.
Asenna looked at it and said, "Warden, this signature is too sloppy, please sign it again."
...
Meanwhile, in a side room of the infirmary, Halo was tied to the hospital bed, her eyes tightly shut.
After being injected with a dormant drug, her heartbeat and breathing had been reduced to a very low level.
And now, as the drug’s effects gradually wore off, her body was slowly waking up.
In the depths of her consciousness, images from past memories kept flashing back: the temple burning with corpses strewn around, the man wearing a mask, the priestess chanting hymns...
A voice outside these images questioned and answered itself.
"Does taking revenge really mean anything?"
——How many things in this world truly mean anything?
"Why should the gods on high care about the worship and offenses of mere mortals?"
——Hatred is equal to all, that’s how it is for everyone.
"Why talk to oneself?"
——Because there’s only "us."
"Have ’we’ gone mad?"
——Does it matter?
"Who are you?"
——Who are "we"?
"Accept your own end?"
Shattered self gathered together in an instant, as if a whale breaching the surface from the deepest recesses of consciousness, this newly reborn persona screamed the final answer:
"Never!!"
Halo suddenly opened her eyes.
What appeared before her was a snow-white ceiling.
Her body felt heavy and weak, and her mind was as if leaden, liable to sink back down at any moment.
"I am..."
While her brain, groggy and heavy, recollected matters about herself, Halo looked around and finally confirmed this was an unfamiliar place.
"What the hell is this place?" she murmured to herself, a slight frown on her brow, her eyes neither vacant nor crazed.
