The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

"Leaving aside lifespan and age, how can one judge whether an arrogant and rude little girl has truly grown up?"

"?"

"?"

The two people present, one human and one cat, seemed both puzzled, seemingly shocked by the low level of technicality involved in the question...

"Well, then it must be..." the black cat tentatively began.

“If we disregard that strange premise, the answer should be…” Marisa blurted out unconsciously.

The girl who couldn't become Alice and the lazy Cheshire Cat exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison, each considering their own situation.

Miss Marisa's challenge was to figure out how to deliver the answer to this rather unsophisticated question in a way that wouldn't embarrass her senior.

The Cheshire Cat, Little Bus, had to consider how to avoid being reprimanded and killed after giving this answer.

Miss Marisa thought Mr. Ba was a good straight man.

Cheshire Cat Little Bus thinks Miss Marisa is a good comedian.

They both saw each other as a solid shield, a qualified tool.

So the person and the cat spoke in unison about the answer.

"Of course, it was when she learned to cultivate her acquired altruistic qualities for others, especially for men." x2

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, the senior student nodded calmly, her voice still cool, but with a hint of relief.

She left her seat, stood up again, picked up the lantern that had been flickering with a pale blue flame the whole time, and walked deeper into the bookshelf, presumably in the direction she had come from.

"It's time to go back, Marisa."

Miss Marisa also stood up at the right time. Before taking him away, she made sure to bow and thank Mr. Babbage, the Cheshire Cat who was no longer a ball of fur, and then quickly followed her senior's steps.

This place had an eerie feel to it, and Marisa dared not stay there alone.

Mr. Cheshire Cat leaped off the table and headed in the direction the two had left. He raised his paws several times, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to land. After a moment, he sighed and remained silent.

A flurry of light and shadow flickered in the tea room, and a moment later, a black-haired girl dressed in a jet-black gothic dress stood on the table, looking out in that direction.

After her gaze met that of the black cat that had turned around, the girl jumped off the stool with a strange expression. She coughed lightly, "Ahem, Your Grace, I must say, your survival instinct just now really opened our eyes."

"Shut up, Dantalian. There are still seventy bastards watching the show. Do you think His Majesty doesn't know you're hiding behind the scenes?"

This time, however, the voice that came out was no longer the mercenary, obsequious, and androgynous one from before. Instead, it was a respectful and solemn, steady voice, like that of a high-ranking and powerful old man, who exuded authority without anger. However, he seemed quite annoyed at the moment, or even embarrassed.

"This shows that His Majesty is magnanimous and won't bother with lowly little devils like us. Besides, wasn't this whole mess entirely your own doing?" The girl, called Dantalian and who also called herself a devil, chuckled and slightly lifted her skirt, bowing to the black cat. "If it weren't for that human girl accidentally studying the chapter on Baal in 'The Key of Solomon,' how could you have ended up in this predicament?"

"Fate is truly a wondrous thing."

The black cat blushed slightly and coughed rather affectedly.

"Yes, it's really amazing. Maybe that human girl was born with good fortune. Who would have thought that the poor girl, who was supposed to become a disposable plaything or collection of a devilish duke, would happen to know that... no, I feel that she is even more pitiful than if she had fallen into your hands. My God, if it were me, I would rather walk into a trap than ask that Your Majesty for help. After all, that person is... well, I'd better shut up, or I might get invited to the dark room for tea one day."

The black-haired girl spoke eloquently, quite pleased with herself.

Another flicker of light and shadow appeared, and another kind-faced, muscular man joined the table.

"Vasak, what brings you here?" The girl and the black cat turned around at the same time.

"Greetings, Your Grace." The kind-faced, muscular man first bowed to the black cat, then turned to the smug gothic girl. "Dantrian, Agares and I just did an impromptu divination for you. Guess what happened?"

"Foreseeing the future and knowing the past and present, that's your divine duty. I'm only responsible for collecting forbidden knowledge. How could I possibly know such things?" The smug devil lady spread her hands.

"Alright, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. The prediction shows that you'll soon be chained up and locked in a dark, sunless room, probably because of what you just said. So, good luck to you. Goodbye, Dantalian, we'll miss you."

"..."

This time, as Dantalian's face gradually turned from bright to purplish-red, from behind the veil of the void came a tidal wave of laughter that seemed impossible to contain.

……

Chapter 7 Lambsday (End)

The journey back was peaceful and tranquil.

This time, Miss Marisa felt much more relaxed, thanks to the relief of her long-standing worries and her unconditional trust in the senior student with the lantern.

Because of her mother, Miss Marisa understands to some extent that the world is not as materialistic as it appears on the surface. Therefore, the reasons why this unsuccessful Alice in Wonderland journey ended in this way are self-evident.

Marisa was beginning to get used to walking through these deep, dark ripples. She pondered the question of what would happen next: the reward.

Money is the first thing to rule out. Although my senior often works in an ordinary flower shop, it has nothing to do with the concept of working and studying. It is a pastime for rich people, an experience of life, or simply being idle... cough.

Secondly, there's the issue of personal connections, which is even less likely. Not only is she a newcomer while the other party is a local power, but even if Marisa reveals her mother's profession, it seems to be only similar to the other party's area of ​​expertise. As for who will teach whom, that remains to be seen.

Finally, after much deliberation, Miss Marisa realized that the only remaining possibility was... well, that was unlikely too. She had been dealing with her senior for quite some time and naturally knew that she and that infamous senior were very close, and she couldn't really tell if they were lesbians.

As for that senior, what a joke! Would a hypocrite who can stand up so many pretty girls really want a myna bird with a mouth full of weird talk?

So, I really can't think of anything else besides selling myself to my senior as her lackey, anything else that could be considered a reward, or to put it more humanely, a way to repay her.

The more she couldn't figure it out, the more panicked she became. What if they really needed someone like her... Wait, she didn't seem to see any maids helping out in such a big mansion. Even the snacks she had before seemed to have been made by her senior. And then there was that rude brat...

Miss Marisa suddenly understood. Her senior was going to hire her as her maid for free, to take care of the owner's daily life, freeing her hands and allowing her to start living the life of a noblewoman ten years early in peace and quiet.

Yes, that must be it!

Although she couldn't go full-time because of her studies, Marisa honestly admitted that she had only attended a handful of classes. As the saying goes, it doesn't matter where you slack off.

Honestly, my senior's house is huge, much more spacious than the tiny rented room I had when I first arrived. Now I can sleep right away when I'm busy and tired.

Marisa has always been good at convincing herself, and now, after a series of weighings, she has convinced herself.

“Marisa”.

Someone is calling from behind.

"No problem, senior! I completely understand what you mean."

"?"

"?"

"..."

"Haha..."

In the darkness, after a period of silent contemplation, Miss Marisa gave an awkward, silly laugh in an attempt to gloss over the incident.

“Marisa, I think you’ve misunderstood. I’ve never intended for you to sell your personal freedom as compensation. Besides, I prefer to do some daily tasks myself rather than leave them to others.”

In the darkness, only a dim blue lantern provided light. The hazy light illuminated Marisa's own face but not her senior's, so Marisa didn't know what the other's expression was like. She only knew that there was no blame in the other's tone, which made her feel relieved.

“Atmosphere, atmosphere, I understand, I understand.” Marisa waved her hands repeatedly to show that she dared not overstep her bounds, and her expression and tone became relaxed. She couldn’t help but ask, “So, what exactly is it about this so-called reward that you’re after, senior?”

"Knowledge that is too taboo will attract too many ominous causes, and thus lead to too many terrible consequences."

The senior student has started speaking incoherently again.

Fortunately, with her mother's help, Marisa was able to grasp some of the information, and her senior obviously knew this, just as she had just taken it for granted that she knew about her own wild thoughts.

Of course.

"This whole affair was caused by your interpretation of forbidden knowledge, which attracted the attention of an ominous being. Miss Marisa should understand this. What I need is just another part, which will not harm you and may even make your life more peaceful in the future."

www.53dushu.com

"...If that's really the case, then I'd rather be the one who wants it most."

Miss Marisa was extremely reluctant to experience Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, even if it was just an unsuccessful attempt, and never wanted to experience it a second time.

"So, the deal is done. I think it's okay to say that."

"Haha..."

Even senior students have things they're not yet familiar with, Marisa couldn't help but think.

Although something still feels off...

For some reason, I have a feeling of loss.

Midday on the moon.

The bright silver moon dispelled the deep night and illuminated this boundless mercury sea. On the mirror-like surface, there were few pale and smooth reefs. The ominous daughter of Hephaestus sat casually on the ground, her black skirt flowing as her feet soaked into the mercury-like seawater, like a blooming black rose.

She was holding a small booklet that she had never seen before, with an antique appearance and the marks of time.

Although it is called a booklet, it is more like a casual diary that someone wrote to comfort themselves in their spare time.

As she read carefully, a soft smile occasionally appeared on her lips.

Tiny ripples spread across the sea, sparse but not dense, moving from afar to near.

She naturally noticed this, but did not stop reading until, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of delicate, white, bare feet standing on the mirror-like surface of the sea.

"Your Majesty, you are already a victor, so why bother studying these ancient thoughts?"

A clear, childlike voice drifted over, and her gaze followed, moving from bottom to top. She saw a silver-haired girl in a plain white dress standing obediently two steps away, her ferocious skeletal wings also obediently folded up.

Pandora sighed, a rare occurrence, closed the book in her hands, and a gentle, faint smile appeared on her face.

“Miss Iota, if you continue to use such strange titles and tones, I can only assume that you are here to demand an explanation for your sister.”

"Of course not. Rather, it's more that with you by my side, Mother and I can feel more at ease. From Lilith's blood wedding until the Tree of Life completely fell, during that long period, Ji received some overly extreme education. We were worried about who would discipline her. It's really great that you stepped forward."

The silver-white angel of death, holding her skirt, sat down next to the black rose, mimicking her by immersing her calves in the seawater, and then let out a pleasant sigh, "Ah, so comfortable. The Abyss of Time, which both the living and the dead avoid, only you dare to use it for bathing. As expected of Miss Pandora, who grew up soaking in divine blood, you easily did what Little Ji couldn't do."

“Miss Iota, but in the end, that drop of blood was shed for you, even though you were already dead by then.”

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here leisurely soaking in the water with you."

“You died because of him, you died for him, and you deserve it. Without you, he would not have left Gomorrah, that city of self-exile, and returned to heaven.”

"Hush, that's just my own fault. When I was alive, I was a troublemaker, and I deserved to die because of all the trouble I caused. Look at me now, I've become a messenger angel of death in the Twilight Tomb. It's all fate."

"Miss Iota always uses a flippant tone to state facts that are too heavy."

"Or are you expecting an old woman like me to complain to a girl who's barely a fraction of my age?"

"..."

The young girl in white spoke softly, making jokes that were anything but funny, while Pandora lamented the long lifespan of the Fire Child, and noticed the solemnity of time beneath her innocent and carefree exterior.

“People before us have their own choices, and you don’t have to pay the price for our willfulness or recklessness. Don’t listen to that little brat Xiao Ji’s nonsense. What does she know about what happened between him and me? What could she possibly know? When I was alive, I never saw her call me ‘sister’ so affectionately or with such sorrow. Maybe back then, she would only think of me as a good-for-nothing who brought shame to the Sariel name—she simply disliked you and refused to admit defeat.”

"Perhaps the children of fire, like the children of earth, only know how to cherish what has passed away."

Pandora lowered her eyes and pondered unconsciously.

"But he can't."

The angel of death spread his wings, as if relieved, gazed into the distance, and then resolutely declared.

"When you reach his position, the things that have passed away will only be a burden, even if they are just a memory... I think you, who have been there, understand this better than anyone else."

“Iota, you’ve forgotten again. It was Charlotte who went there, not me.”

"Is there any difference?"

"Yes and no."

“Miss Snake, you’re here again. It’s rare for a runaway fox like me to have time to skip work and sneak out. It’s not that I’m here to keep you company while you ponder whether your current position is right or deserved, is it? The answer has always been in your heart, hasn’t it? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be sitting here. Miss Snake, this kind of little girl’s sorrow and anxiety doesn’t suit you. It might suit Charlotte better, really.”

“You’re very easygoing, Miss Fox.”

"Hehe, Miss Fox has only two advantages in this life. One is that she is particularly good at taking things in stride. You know Pandora. If I couldn't take things in stride, I would have already committed suicide before Little Ji was born, when I lost my right to inherit the name from Gabriel and Sariel. And the facts have proven this point. I am just an ordinary child of fire, while my sister who was born later is far more outstanding than me. Compared to Little Ji, I am just a candle flame under the bright sun."

"But that's why you exiled yourself to Gomorrah and met him there."

"Pandora, today is a day for reminiscing, but if we talk about too many sad things, I'll cry too."

Iota blinked, a hint of grievance in her eyes.

“Iota, you have to understand, I have always been grateful to you.”

"What a coincidence. Last time I talked to Charlotte, she also expressed gratitude towards a certain witch. Although you two are essentially the same person, this kind of naive and infuriating thought process is truly..."

"..."