248: Chapter 14 Lina’s World_1 248: Chapter 14 Lina’s World_1 “I’ve already devoured that foolish woman’s soul.” Lina’s face bore a look of insanity, her tongue lightly licking her crimson lips as if savoring the taste.
“I must say, the souls of the clergy, they really don’t taste too bad.
It’s just a sha there’s so few of them.
I want to eat more and more.
Hehe, hehehe, hahaha.”
The standard three-part laughter showed off her craziness.
With a mocking tone, she confronted the stunned onlookers, “Well?
Are you upset?
You’re all just a bunch of lowly degenerates.
Even if you’re upset, you’re only fit to be my food, hahahaha.”
“Oh.” Pannis and Catherine exchanged glances, both expressing their understanding with a single “oh”, then leading the rest to turn and walk away.
“Hey, what do you an by that?” ‘Lina’ was left embarrassed by Catherine and Pannis’ reaction.
She jogged after them, shouting, “What the hell is going on?
Aren’t you her companions?
Why are you all reacting this way?
Hey, wait…
I’m talking to you!”
“Ah.” Pannis pityingly glanced at Lina, shaking his head slightly.
He spoke in a voice like one would use to soothe a child, “We need to go ho and rest.
Don’t cause a fuss, just follow obediently.”
“Oh, okay then.” ‘Lina’ scratched her head, grumbling in acceptance.
She took a few steps, then a sudden realization hit her and she rounded on them furiously, “Damn it, I’m not a child!
And I just ate Lina, why aren’t you reacting at all?”
“Enough with the jokes.” Catherine sighed, “We don’t know who you are, but Lina told us that you’re all her most trusted family.
So no matter what you ask, she would offer her body to you without any reservations.
Do you really think we would believe that you ate her?”
“That’s why I hate her the most.” ‘Lina’ angrily snapped a book shut, grumbling, “This isn’t fun.
You guys aren’t fun at all.
I’m leaving.
Bunch of annoying jerks.
I don’t want to play with you.”
Even the Ansha Michelle sisters stared at her with pitying eyes, like they were looking at a child who had been denied a piece of candy.
A few glances and sighs later, Lina was back.
“Uh, why is everyone looking at like that?” As Lina opened her eyes, she noticed everyone’s odd expressions.
She giggled nervously, touching her face, “Did I…
say sothing weird?
Did I do sothing weird?”
“Mmm, not really.” Pannis shrugged nonchalantly, “Just told us she’d eaten you, then threatened to eat us, and after she realized we weren’t scared, she threatened to eat the Terixico sisters.
When she figured out that no one was scared of her, she ran off crying.
Apart from that, she didn’t do anything weird.”
“That little devil.” Lina bit her lip in annoyance, “I knew she wouldn’t be good for anything when she ca out.
I’ll teach her a lesson she won’t forget when I get ho.”
“Who is that kid, really?” Catherine asked, half-laughing, “She seems quite mischievous and troubleso.”
“And so condescending.” Michelle quickly added, “So impolite.”
“Uh, her na’s Isabella.
She’s our…
let’s say, younger sister.” Lina replied hesitantly, “Even though she’s older than all of us, but at least in terms of appearance, she’s our little sister.
Really, she’s quite adorable, even though she can be a bit unruly and tantrum-prone at tis, most of the ti she’s just a bit hot-headed and she usually seems very ferocious, but she’s not actually a bad person.”
“I can see that.” Catherine almost laughed, “She’s like Oli.”
“Hey, sis, Oli is a stray cat, rember?” Lina responded indignantly, “Isabella is a queen, you know?”
“I rember.” Pannis, who had been trailing behind, suddenly exclaid, “This Isabella, she’s the Blood Rose of the Holy Soya Kingdom during the end of the Third Epoch, right?
The Queen of the Holy Soya Kingdom, the evil empress who is said to keep her youth by drinking human blood and devouring human souls?”
“That’s her, but she never drank blood or devoured souls.” Lina corrected, “Those were rumors spread by her enemies back then.
I didn’t expect them to persist until the Fourth Epoch.”
“Whether they are rumors or not isn’t the issue.” Pannis remarked dismissively, “After all, the version of her you’re interacting with isn’t the real her, it’s just the artistic creation of her descendants.”
“Honestly, Lina, I’m really curious.” Catherine suddenly stopped walking and looked at Lina seriously, “What exactly is going on with your friends?”
“I really don’t know.” Lina replied with a clueless expression, “I asked them, but they wouldn’t tell .
They just told not to ask too many questions because I’m a kid.”
“Won’t it hurt you?” Catherine asked further, “You always call your friends to help, won’t it put too much strain on your body?”
“I’ll be a bit drained for a few hours.” Lina answered, “As long as it’s not too frequent, I recover quite easily.
As for permanent damage, absolutely not.”
“That’s good.” Catherine said, her worries alleviated.
Looking up at the night sky, she added, “It’s very late now, let’s get ho.
Rest tomorrow.
The day after we have to take Freya to the City of Freedom.”
“La la la la la.” Lina, having been reunited with an old friend, was evidently very happy.
She humd a tune, holding the twins’ hands.
Although it sounded discordant, her voice was cheerful and infectious.
“Oh, by the way, Lina, I’ve had a question for a while.” After a while, Pannis asked, “What are your friends doing when you seek them out?
What’s their environnt like?”
“This is a bit more complex to explain.” Lina paused to gather her thoughts, “Put simply, I feel like I have a small world within .
Every ti I concentrate inward, I enter that world.
It’s surrounded by a pitch-black void, initially, the only thing in it was a huge library full of books I have read.
Sotis, my friends are reading in the library, other tis they are hidden in one of the rooms and I can’t find them.
However, when I want to find soone, I just call for them loudly in the library and they co out.”
“Hmm, that’s really interesting.” Pannis mused, stroking his chin, “A library, huh?
mories of childhood?”
“But in recent years, I’ve found it strange that the world has changed,” said Lina.
“A very large lawn or perhaps a garden appeared outside the library.
They sotis co out and walk around on the lawn, or gather to play card gas or chess.
But most of the ti, they are nowhere to be seen.”
“Also, so ti ago, I felt that the exterior of the library changed slightly.
It is becoming more and more like our mansion.” Lina suddenly pointed to the mansion not far away, “Especially that pointed roof, it looks very similar.”
“Ah, now I see,” Pannis said thoughtfully.
“A world composed of your mories.”
“mories?
I thought so too, but why would there be changes?” Lina asked puzzledly.
“Ever since it started to change, I’m not so sure anymore.”
Pannis gave a knowing smile without answering.
He believed that the world within Lina’s heart was indeed composed of her mories.
However, it was intricately constructed by her younger and emotionally scarred self as a protective layer.
The surrounding darkness within the world symbolized Lina’s inner despair and guilt.
To Pannis, the reason she hadn’t been consud completely by the darkness, descending into madness, was due to the defense of this final barrier— the imnse library that Lina referred to.
In her subconscious, she had tightly shut herself inside that library for ten years.
It had beco her last refuge; her sanctuary.
The books and the library itself had beco her last bastion.
As for the changes, Pannis had a theory; the lawn and the mansion obviously symbolized No.
6 Fox Street.
Lina’s heart, slowly being thawed and moved by Catherine, had gradually accepted this new family.
Therefore, in her psychic world, the old library and the new mansion were beginning to rge.
Perhaps the day when they fully rge would herald the redemption of her self-conscious, jealous, guilt-filled heart.
Despite these thoughts, Pannis decided not to share them.
It was probably better to keep these psychological analyses to himself.
As for the existence of Lina’s friends, Pannis was full of curiosity.
If they were rely fignts of Lina’s imagination, then it was strange how Lina acquired abilities through them that she couldn’t possibly possess herself.
But, it couldn’t have been a real existence, after all, they were only fictional characters in novels.
Thinking about all this gave Pannis a headache.
In the end, he decided to push these questions aside for now.
“Huh, look, the lights are still on in their shop.” Lina, completely unaware of what Pannis was contemplating, didn’t care why the world inside her would change.
After all, it was out of her control.
Rather than worrying about it, she preferred to enjoy the joyous New Year’s Eve.
“Are Nicole and Rachel not out for fun?”
“Let’s go take a look.” Catherine suggested playfully.
She, Lina and Vivian sidled up to the window of Nicole and Rachel’s antique shop to peek inside.
Nicole was examining the rchandise while Rachel was taking inventory.
Under the glow of the crystal lamp, the occasional exchange of glances and smiles between the two conveyed their thoughts clearly to each other.
Though they had very little direct communication, they showed seamless synergy.
The heartwarming scene was undeniable to onlookers.
“I’m quite envious of them.” Catherine comnted dreamily, “Once we achieve our goals, and we tire of our adventurous lives, why don’t we open a small shop together?
Back then, I’ll be responsible for accounts and sales.”
“I’ll be in charge of concocting potions.” Vivian offered, “And making magic scrolls.”
“I’ll offer healing and exorcisms.” Lina said longingly, “Business will surely be good.”
All three fell silent suddenly, their gaze uniformly fell on Pannis.
“I have to be responsible for sothing as well?” Pannis, looking at the three girls who were nodding in unison and showing no signs of letting him off the hook, took a mont to think and then said brightly, “I’ll handle reception at the front, um, reception for attractive female custors.”
“You can go to hell!” The first day of the New Year began with so all too familiar scolding.
(To be continued.
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