Chapter Ninety-Six: Vayne (3)

“Brrr! You’re a believer in arcane studies?!” The moment Catherine heard those three words, a chill ran through her entire body. She involuntarily stumbled back several steps, wanting to put some distance between herself and Vayne.

“Oh? So you’ve heard of the mighty reputation of my great Cult of the Arcane God?” At the mention of arcane studies, a fervent look flashed across Vayne’s face. She glanced sidelong at Catherine and said, “Since you’re at least a little knowledgeable, I can forgive your disrespect toward me! And, in my boundless mercy, I’ll also grant you the chance to join the Cult of the Arcane God! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and throw yourself into the embrace of the Cult of the Arcane God! Join now and enjoy a two percent discount on soap anywhere across the continent, plus a wealth of gifts…”

“No, no, no, thank you for your kindness, but I’ve already converted to the Cult of Martial Arts!” Catherine shook her head furiously and retreated even farther.

She had always heard her seniors warn that the Cult of the Arcane God was full of people with something wrong in their heads. If she ever met anyone from that cult, she had to stay far, far away, because in their pursuit of the perfect alchemical puppet, they had already become a band of lunatics. Back then, she had dismissed those warnings as exaggeration. Now, seeing the frenzy on Vayne’s face, she finally understood just how justified those warnings had been.

Seeing that the other woman seemed poised to say more, Catherine hurriedly changed the subject.

“Never mind that for now. Vayne... sis? Why are you so resistant? Why go to such lengths to run away? Are you really that opposed to studying martial arts?”

At the mention of that topic, Vayne’s expression cleared at once. She exhaled weakly and said, “It’s all because my sister tricked me. The way she described martial arts, it was just a bunch of idiots training their muscles. I’m a proper alchemist—why would I waste my time on that? I’d only be delaying my mission to save the world! But now, seeing you, I’ve suddenly changed my mind!”

“Because of me?”

“Of course! You studied that... martial arts stuff, right? This physique is absurdly strong! If I had a body like yours, I could do experiments without holding back at all, no matter how violently they explode! Those high-risk experiments I’ve been putting off can finally be put on the schedule. For that alone, I absolutely have to study martial arts properly!”

After Vayne’s impassioned speech, she suddenly put on a flattering smile and said to Catherine, “Dear sister, my precious sister, could you cut the rope with your dagger? I’m being bound so tightly it’s awful. I feel like my chest is swollen from the pressure. If you’re afraid I’ll run, then just cut the part in front of my chest, all right?”

“Not one bit all right!” Catherine answered irritably. “Don’t think you can trick me. I’ve figured out I really can’t do anything to you, so we’ll just wait until Master gets back!”

“Damn it,” Vayne muttered when she saw there was no hope at all.

That made Catherine glance over at her. No matter what, whether the one before her was Vayne or not, hearing her idol’s body spit out profanity still made her uncomfortable. She wanted to stop her, but it felt unreasonable, so in the end she could only sit down helplessly and sigh.

Seeing her fall silent, Vayne took the initiative. “Senior sister, dear senior sister, could you tell me what martial arts even involves? I was suddenly teleported here and I have absolutely no idea what’s going on!”

Though Catherine wanted to ignore her, when she heard that sweet little “senior sister,” her heart still skipped a beat. While cursing her own lack of resolve in her mind, she honestly replied, “Lady Vise... your sister was actually pretty much right. Martial arts is mainly about training the body and strengthening one’s constitution... I think? To be honest, I don’t really know how martial arts is actually cultivated. These past few days I’ve just been following Master around, running here and there, and somehow my strength has been shooting up without stopping.”

“How strong is our master, that muscle-bound brute, exactly?” Vayne asked in a very low voice. “I’ll be honest: when I first got teleported over, I wanted to make a move on him. But the moment I saw him, my sixth sense told me one thing very clearly—never do anything stupid! If you do, you’ll definitely die!”

Catherine raised a thumb. “For a troublemaker like you, that sixth sense is remarkably accurate! Not making a move was absolutely the right call. Congratulations on keeping your life!”

As she spoke, Catherine took out the Magic-Eye Sprite, opened the “recent playback” function, and selected a few clips from the past two days involving Ling Mo for Vayne to watch.

When Vayne saw Ling Mo transform into a super giant a hundred meters tall and nearly kill three elemental spirits in a single exchange, her mouth fell open so wide that even the saliva dripping out of it went unnoticed.

Seeing the younger sister of the Saint of Magic so astonished and envious, Catherine finally recovered a little balance in her heart. She lifted her chin slightly and said with a touch of pride, “Well? Martial arts isn’t bad, is it? After seeing a profession with such a bright future, you don’t want to run away anymore, do you?”

When she didn’t hear any reply, Catherine frowned in confusion. Turning her head, she looked at Vayne—only to find the other woman staring fixedly at the giant figure of Ling Mo in the projection, as though her soul had been sucked clean away, utterly oblivious to everything around her.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you?!” Catherine waved a hand in front of Vayne’s eyes, but there was no reaction. She was still staring at the projection. Only then did Catherine realize something was wrong. What she saw in Vayne’s eyes was not astonishment or longing at all, but sheer terror. It was as though she had seen the most horrifying thing in the world, and in an instant had been struck dumb with fear.

Startled, Catherine hurriedly grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard, shouting into her ear, “Hey! Stop looking! Snap out of it!”

A deathly air seemed to radiate from Vayne, as though all vitality was steadily draining from her body. Stunned, she slowly turned her head and looked at Catherine with those fear-filled eyes. Only then did Catherine notice that a faint gray haze had settled over her pupils. Her eyes had completely lost focus, making her look like a walking corpse.

Yet if one looked closely at her expression, one would realize she was actually smiling. The corners of her mouth were lifted ever so slightly, carving a strange smile beneath those lifeless eyes.

With that bizarre expression, she began to murmur in a strange tone and at a terrifying speed:

“An upside-down candle flame.”

“Runes burning as they fall.”

“Silver-bright vermin.”

“A giant serpent bowing over the water.”

“An envelope without words and the arrow of Scorpio.”

“The moon missing its back.”

“Threads woven toward the starry sky and a shattered world.”

“The princess sisters slaughtering one another.”

“Mother.”

“A brown cloth teddy bear with a broken neck.”

“Snow White in red dancing shoes.”

“The lies spoken by the bodies of the dead.”

“Footprints.”

“Veins fluttering through the air.”

“A stomach bristling with thorns.”

“A crooked green tree.”

“The hollow...”

Her speech grew faster and faster, and the content of her murmurs grew more and more fragmented. It made Catherine’s skin crawl. Especially when she saw those completely gray pupils, a chill rose uncontrollably in her heart.

After listening for several more seconds, Catherine could bear it no longer. She quickly fumbled with the Magic-Eye Sprite and forcibly shut off the projection.

The instant the image vanished, Vayne’s murmuring stopped as if severed by a blade. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and a trace of clarity returned to her eyes. She cried out, her body jerked violently, and then she collapsed directly into a faint.