A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 221 The Eve of the Forbidden Forest
I've been researching this recently.

Seven clapped his hands vigorously, making a series of lewd and ambiguous noises in the Grindelwald canteen that evening.

"—This kind of thing. Its impact on mental strength and arcane magic."

"However, because I am a pure, kind virgin who has never messed around, I must conduct an investigation. Arcane magic is rigorous."

Rarely, in the dining hall of Lord Grindelwald's castle, one could see a large group of people sitting at the same table eating, and these people were not even from the same grade.

There are Celia, Seven, and Adolf in the first-year divination class.

Along with Lynn, Judith, and a dozen or so sixth-year students. Most of them were friends who had gone out together on the night of the last Arcane Festival, and several of them, including Lynn, would accompany the first-year students into the Forbidden Forest as guardians tomorrow.

The remaining sixth-grade students will join their teachers and professors to hunt down any Abyssal Extraordinaries who may be hiding near the entrance to the Forbidden Forest.

They ate together to discuss tomorrow's plans—operating on the first and second levels of the Abyss and killing a few Abyss superhumans along the way wasn't a big deal for sixth-year students. The main reason they gathered together was that several couples had formed among the sixth-year students after that night, and having dinner together was one of the few dates these arcanists, who were currently studying magic, had.

Seven approached them on his own initiative, his purpose clearly being to flirt with the senior student, while Adolf simply followed Seven along the way and would return alone after the meal. Celia, who was passing by with her tray, was called over by Seven. Since her savior, Senior Lin, was also there, the cheerful girl happily joined the meal.

"So I spent some time conducting research. As we all know, first-graders are generally quite young, and we can't expect all of them to have a sex life, but the principle of self-sufficiency is pretty much the same."

"So I specifically chose the time when they were showering to go in and conduct research, trying to gather firsthand intelligence—"

Seeing that this guy's topics were getting more and more incoherent, while the senior students around him were listening attentively, Celia hurriedly stopped him for the sake of the divination class's image: "Alright, skip the process, just give me the conclusion."

Of the 24 people, one answered "I don't know," and one thought "it should have an impact."

"Where are the others?" a senior student asked impatiently with a mischievous grin.

Seven sighed helplessly.

"Everyone asked me how I got in."

Amidst laughter, Seven looked expectantly at Judith: "So I'm planning to investigate the girls' dorms next, but as you know, they're not easy to get into. Could you help me out by taking a shower in front of me?"

Judith smiled and said, "I can turn you into a toad and take you in, but when you'll turn back is another story."

Seven shuddered and instinctively looked at Lin in fear. Last time, after Lin turned him into a toad on the train, her arcane effect was so strong that even when he returned to the academy and asked his teacher for help, he couldn't turn back. Poor Seven was thrown out of the window by his unsuspecting roommate in the dormitory, and he only turned back after being resurrected.

Unlike her classmates who ordered various dinners, Lin only had a pitifully small piece of cake on her plate. The college had strict controls on Lin's diet, and the poor little girl could hardly eat anything in the cafeteria on weekdays.

She noticed Seven looking at her and tilted her head slightly: "Need Lin's help?"

"Huh?" Seven was at a loss.

Unexpectedly, Lin nodded again and said expressionlessly, "Okay."

Celia, who was sitting next to Lin, immediately became anxious and hurriedly waved her hand: "No, no! Senior said he came to play!"

Although Lin couldn't remember his name, she still gave her reason for being willing to help: "He's a student of Pizza."

"His research is definitely not a good thing."

On the other side, Judith shielded the sixth-grade mascot, who was either innocent or a bit dim-witted, and put away her smile, coldly snorting at Seven: "I'm warning you, if I find out you've tricked Senior Lin, I'll hang you on the top floor of the Whale Skeleton Library."

Since returning from the Arcane Festival, perhaps because they spent the night together, Lin seems to have undergone some subtle changes.

She began to return to the classroom, no longer attending only one or two spatial magic or modern arcane classes each week. Although she still missed most of her classes every day, whenever there was a large class with almost all the sixth-grade students present, you could always spot a small, exquisitely beautiful figure in the corner.

When Judith and the others sat down next to Lynn, she wouldn't chase them away. Although she still didn't pay much attention to conversations and would appear or disappear by teleporting without saying hello, she would express her opinions by nodding or shaking her head when it came to arcane or magical issues.

She wouldn't even refuse an invitation to eat at the cafeteria together—eating was a serious matter in the little girl's eyes, but she would only come to the cafeteria on days when Quinn was on leave.

As Lin gradually returned to her daily life at the academy, her classmates of six years were shocked to discover that this elusive campus legend, the principal's darling magical genius, and the most aloof school beauty, Grindelwald, had been misunderstood.

She's not aloof at all; she just has a rather unique way of being. If you're willing to secretly give Lin a donut during class, she might even give you a blissful smile that could make even the gods swoon.

Surprisingly, they were easy to bribe.

"Ahem—" A sixth-grade boy coughed lightly, "Actually, I've been doing research on the effects of arcane magic lately, Lin, can you help me with that?"

"I'm doing it too." "Me too, me too." "Haha, what a coincidence!" The calls for help immediately rose and fell, including one from a girl.

These were all the people who confessed their feelings to Lin under the fireworks that night at the Arcane Festival.

Of the 47 sixth-grade students, nearly one-fifth confessed their feelings to the little girl. This doesn't even include those who didn't go out with her that night. There were both boys and girls. They lined up to express their affection for Lin, just like completing a task or earning an achievement.

Lin's response was consistent: "Thank you, you're a good person."

This doesn't seem like something Lynn could have come up with on her own. According to a woman named Cavendish who wished to remain anonymous, it was Quinn, a teaching assistant in the divination department, who taught her this.

Everyone was just joking, of course. While many sixth-graders liked Lin, they probably hadn't exchanged more than five sentences in six years of schooling. Coupled with Lin's terrifying arcane abilities, this "liking" was more based on her looks and her status as the top student in the academy. Those sitting here are all geniuses, and the only thing that can make a genius develop an intellectual attraction is a monster that even geniuses can't reach.

Adolf, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly said to Seven, "Senior Lin saved our lives."

“I understand,” Seven said sincerely. “When I inherit the family business, I’ll rename all my family’s brothels to Gu Aileen—”

Mrs. Ado was ruthless and didn't mince words: "If you dare to harass her, I'll poison your cup."

"Damn it!" Seven cursed angrily, "When did I ever harass her?! You sleep next door to me, don't you know I use Judith's photos when I cast spells—"

Judith, sitting opposite him, crossed her arms in disbelief, a chill running down her spine. She knew this junior was a jerk, but she didn't know he was like this.

A friend's strained voice came from the side, trying to matchmake her: "Azhu, why don't you say yes? You won't find another person in the academy's history who's completely devoid of sophisticated tastes. Huh?"

Her friend paused, looking in surprise behind Judith.

Strictly speaking, it was behind Lin and Celia.

Two large hands, one on each side, covered their eyes, and an aged voice came from behind them—

"Guess who I am?"

Celia was clearly taken aback, but quickly broke into a sweet smile.

"I do not know."

Lin was even more straightforward and ordered directly:

"Mexican roll".

Quinn reluctantly withdrew his hand. "How did you recognize me? I've practiced this voice for a long time; it shouldn't have given me away."

“Hehe.” Celia said smugly, “Mr. Quinn, you have calluses on your fingers from playing the piano, on both hands.”

Wow, you're so observant!

Celia immediately buried her head like an ostrich: "No, I saw it by accident."

Lin did not answer.

There are many reasons why she could recognize Quinn. The smell, the temperature, the heartbeat. Not to mention the change in his voice, even if Quinn were just a wisp of a soul, Lynn could recognize him instantly.

Quinn, who came out to get food for Amamiya Nene, looked at the group of people at the table, especially Adolf next to Seven, and said in surprise, "What a rare combination! When did you guys become so close?"

“We are comrades doing the same research,” Seven said seriously.

"Take your time eating, I have something to do."

Quinn said hello and left for the dining hall window.

Lin naturally followed him, leaving behind a table of bewildered people.

Seeing this, Celia also began to eat as if seeking revenge, quickly stuffing the fried rice on the plate into her mouth—unlike the students who liked junk food or hometown food, Celia was one of the few who liked rice.

Because she was too thin, she ate very little and finished her meal in just a few bites. After that, she politely greeted the senior students and then hurriedly ran away.

She carried the plate and tray to the puppet holding the cutlery, then strode quickly toward the direction Quinn had disappeared.

Judith watched Celia's retreating figure with great interest, then asked curiously, "Is her name Celia?"

Someone nearby replied, "Yes, it is indeed very beautiful up close. Could it be a nobleman?"

"Their temperament doesn't match."

"She doesn't waste food; she doesn't leave a single grain of rice. She seems to come from an ordinary family."

"She seems to be the worst student in her first year. I heard the professor discuss her before, saying he couldn't understand why the Hero's Codex would choose her for the academy."

Judith didn't care about any of that. She was the youngest student when she enrolled, and now she's only slightly older than Celia, still at the age where she's most prone to gossip. She looked at the taciturn Adolf and asked with a smile, "By the way, does Celia have some kind of close relationship with Mr. Quinn?"

Adolf was truly aloof; he usually didn't like to talk to people, but since this was a senior student, he had no choice but to reply:
"Teacher-student relationship."

"Hey, the teacher-student relationship can't be that intimate, right? Guessing names while covering your eyes."

"Didn't he cover Lin's eyes too?" someone nearby said.

"You didn't know that he and Lin are relatives."

Seven protested, "Why didn't you ask me, senior?"

Judith gave a cold laugh.

"Explain the photo issue clearly first."

After getting a salad with a lethal dose of mushrooms from the kitchen window, Quinn saw Celia walking towards him.

"Hey, are you going to the classroom?" The direction back to the dormitory is on the other side.

Celia, pretending to be passing by, gave a dry laugh.

"Yes, I want to review Mr. Connor's alchemical ingredient list."

"Ah."

Quinn noticed that Celia seemed to want to say something and assumed she was nervous.

"Don't worry, since the school doctor didn't find anything wrong, you can go into the Forbidden Forest as usual tomorrow and nothing will happen. I'll go with you."

Celia, however, wasn't worried about that; she wasn't afraid of the Forbidden Forest. She hesitated, glancing at Lynn beside Quinn, before asking expectantly, "Um...Mr. Quinn, do you have a moment?"

"what happened?"

"I want to play the piano." She raised her hands and played a few notes impromptu. "I've practiced enough! I'd like you to check them."

"Heh, let's wait until next week."

Quinn still had to cook dinner for Lin, and Amamiya Nene was in his dorm. Although he believed Amamiya Nene wouldn't rummage around, there was still a hidden Heaven's Gate there, so caution was advised.

".That's it."

Celia felt a little regretful, after all, Quinn had taken a day off, and she wanted to spend more time alone with Quinn.

Last night, right after Quinn took her to see the school doctor, Celia had a strange dream.

After getting up, she felt uneasy, just like she is now. She didn't know why, but she had a strange sense of foreboding.

It's like that dream, that dream that has been going on for three long yet short years, is about to come to an unhappy ending.

"If you're not feeling well, you can take tomorrow off, okay?" Quinn said with a smile.

"Yes, I'm perfectly healthy. I'll definitely be fine this time." Celia smiled sweetly, then waved goodbye to Quinn.

Unlike the polite farewells she used with her seniors, she said "See you tomorrow" to Quinn.

Quinn nodded. "See you tomorrow."

The last sentence of their nightly chats, which were exactly the same as the one in the dream, was spoken by the two of them using a tool called a "cell phone".

She doesn't like saying "goodbye" because you never know when it will be again; it's something used at farewell parties. But "see you tomorrow" is different. "See you tomorrow" is a promise; it means you'll definitely come to see me tomorrow, which makes you feel happy just thinking about it.

Behind her, Lin, the senior student, shouted, "Pizza, let's go!" and Quinn complained helplessly. Celia quietly left the cafeteria.

Since she was already there, she wandered around a few times before returning to the divination department's classroom. She took out her notebook and textbooks and began memorizing and studying in the classroom.

At 9:30 p.m., the girl, whose eyes were a little sore, closed her book, rubbed her throbbing temples, extinguished the candles in the classroom with her magic wand, and returned to her dormitory alone in the night.

After taking a shower, her roommate Megan returned. The two classmates had developed a fairly close friendship. Megan, who was extremely introverted, only had Celia as her only friend in the academy, while Seven and Adolf could be considered half a friend. At least she wouldn't be too nervous to speak when talking to them.

When Megan came in, Celia obediently sat on the edge of the bed, turning her wet, cold brown hair toward her roommate.

Please~

Then a warm, arcane breeze wafted in from behind, accompanied by Megan's remark: "I've blown this on you so many times, I'm so used to it I don't even need to chant the incantation anymore."

"Sorry, I'm so clumsy, I burned my hair. How about tonight?"

Megan fell silent; she wasn't very good at confiding her unhappiness to her friends.

"Why are you working outside? You'll get in trouble with the college if they find out."

“Three days a week is fine.” Megan hesitated before changing the subject: “What are you going to learn tonight? I’ll teach you.”

"Thank you. But let's skip tonight, I'm already very tired from studying."

"Actually, you can meditate. Meditation is much more efficient at restoring mental energy than sleeping."

Celia sat on the bed, gazing at the tranquil night sky outside the window, so similar to the world in her dreams. A soft, expectant light flickered in her eyes as she chuckled softly:
"I'm a lazy pig, I just really like sleeping, yeah, that's all."

(End of this chapter)