NOVEL NEXT Ch. 9
Chapter 9: The Girl and Apothecary
I turned my head sharply and saw a girl with coffee-colored curly hair standing behind me, a gentle smile on her face.
Under the sun, that coffee-colored curly hair shimmered brightly, but in my eyes, an unsettling filth was entwined around the other person.
It was even more than what ordinary people had.
“Mel, why didn't you come to class today?”
My classmate, Vilnia Randell, asked curiously.
The girl's voice was sweet and pleasant, but in my ears, it sounded exceptionally harsh.
That low whisper sounded by my ear again, clearer than before, and even faintly tinged with anger.
(She is luring pure souls to their fall)
(Stop her from continuing to poison those lost lambs)
I swallowed, forcefully suppressing the restlessness in my heart, trying my best to maintain a calm exterior, and squeezed out a smile.
“Vilnia, what are you doing here?”
“The teacher said you took a leave of absence, so I wanted to come and see you.”
Vilnia took a step forward, and the filth entwined around her body drifted forward with her movement.
I instinctively took a step back, and in my vision, the filth around Vilnia’s body had begun to twist and deform.
“Are you alright? You still look quite energetic.”
Vilnia didn't notice my strangeness, she carefully looked me over from head to toe, then breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Immediately after, she handed over a notebook.
“These are the notes from the past two days, I've organized them for you, you'll come to class tomorrow, right?”
(Stop her)
(Purify her)
(Shepherd her)
The whispers in my ear grew more and more urgent, I felt my sanity being eroded bit by bit, it seemed a force was pushing me, wanting me to kill the classmate before me.
“Of... of course.”
I took a deep breath, then smiled and took the notebook from her hand, “Thank you, Vilnia.”
Seeing this, the smile on Veronica's face became even more brilliant, and then she stepped forward and took my hands.
“You're welcome, Mel, I'm glad I could help.”
The girl's palms were warm and soft, but they made me feel a wave of discomfort, as if I were surrounded by hot charcoal.
The filth entwined on Vilnia’s soul tried to spread over from the point of contact, but it retreated as it neared my body.
“By the way, did you know, Mel? You weren’t here yesterday, I heard the boys in class seemed to be talking about you.”
Vilnia blinked playfully, not noticing my discomfort at all, she gently shook my hands, like the intimate gesture of a normal girl sharing gossip.
“Is... is that so?”
I resisted the urge to pull my hands back, trying to keep my voice steady.
“What were they talking about, about me?”
“Hmm.... I remember that for the past two days, Thomas would always secretly glance towards your seat, and I also heard that he seems to be planning to confess to you!”
Vilnia said, a mischievous smile on her face.
That filth became even denser with her emotional fluctuations, forming twisted human faces in my eyes.
“But I’m about to transfer schools...”
I gave a dry laugh, and hearing about the transfer, the smile on Vilnia’s face couldn't help but dim a little.
“That's right.... you’re transferring.... I’ll really miss you.”
Vilnia sighed, “It would be so nice if you could stay by my side forever.”
Saying so, the girl suddenly shook her head again, as if to shake off all the unhappy things.
“Let’s not talk about this, have you had lunch yet? Why don't we go eat together? I know a newly opened restaurant, their cream of mushroom soup is especially delicious!”
“No need,” I smiled and shook my head, “My sister has prepared lunch for me.”
“Alright then.”
Vilnia let go of my hands with some disappointment, then took two steps back.
“If you need anything, just let me know, I can come see you anytime.”
“Mm, thank you.”
I nodded slightly, “But I’ll be going to school tomorrow.”
“That would be for the best——see you tomorrow!”
Vilnia waved goodbye to me, then turned and left.
I stood at the door, watching Vilnia leave, before slowly walking into the house.
As soon as I entered, I rushed to the washroom, turned on the faucet, and continuously washed the hands that Vilnia had touched.
“Why....”
My voice trembled slightly, “Why would Vilnia be a Shepherd...”
Vilnia was my good friend, even though the filth on her just now wanted to approach and contaminate me, I could feel that Vilnia was not lying to me.
At the very least, she genuinely cared about me.
I closed my eyes, and scenes of my past time with Vilnia appeared in my mind.
The girl was always smiling brightly, warm and cheerful, one of the most popular students in the class.
She would bring me a cup of hot cocoa when I was feeling down, she would take the initiative to help me copy notes when I was sick, and she would even stand up to defend me when other classmates were secretly gossiping about me....
I looked up at the pale face in the mirror, my hands had been rubbed red, but that feeling just wouldn't go away.
Suddenly, I saw myself in the mirror speak:
(She is not your friend)
(She is a wolf in sheep's clothing)
(She is guiding pure souls to their fall)
“Shut up!”
I shouted at the mirror, then turned and ran out of the washroom.
I sat on a chair, took a deep breath, then grabbed the bag of herbs on the table and walked to the kitchen.
I had to find something to divert my attention.
I laid out the purchased medicinal herbs one by one on the kitchen counter, arranging them neatly in the order required by the formula.
Sunlight shone in through the window, making the crystalline moonstone powder shimmer with a faint silver light.
The copper pot was placed on the fire, clear water boiled and tumbled within, I threw the silverleaf into it, watching as the silvery-white leaves slowly unfurled in the hot water, emitting a clear, fresh fragrance.
(She is deceiving you)
(Kindness is the most perfect disguise)
The gibberish in my ear seemed dissatisfied with my evasive behavior, so it once again sounded by my ear.
My hand trembled slightly, almost knocking over the cup.
I forced myself to concentrate and continue concocting the potion according to the steps in my memory.
A pinch of dried rosemary, three leaves of St. John's wort, seven hawthorn berries soaked in holy water... each ingredient exuded a unique fragrance, gradually merging into one under the infusion of hot water.
“Next is gentian....”
I muttered to myself, tearing the purple flowers and sprinkling them evenly into the pot.
The boiling water quickly turned it a deep purple, emitting a slightly bitter scent.
(She is bewitching those pure souls)
(Stop her)
The gurgling sound of the boiling liquid turned into waves of annoying gibberish in my ears, the girl shook her head, then took out the blue butterfly wings.
The moment the wings fell into the potion, the entire pot of liquid suddenly began to tumble violently.
Purple and blue intertwined within it, forming a strange vortex.
I hurriedly sprinkled the moonstone powder into it, watching the silver powder draw elegant trajectories on the surface of the liquid.
A pinch of dried rosemary, three leaves of St. John's wort, seven hawthorn berries soaked in holy water each ingredient exuded a unique fragrance, gradually merging into one under the infusion of hot water.
Sunlight streamed through the window, the fragrance of the potion filled the air.
The flame under the crucible danced, dyeing the entire space in a warm hue.
“And finally....”
I took out the last ingredient from the herb bag——a small pinch of faintly glowing powder.
It was just sacred ash, the ashes left after holy incense has burned out.
Holy incense is made from a mixture of various spices and herbs, so the ash left after it burns also possesses a certain special effect.
The church usually collects these sacred ashes and then sells them to pharmacies as a form of extra income.
The moment I sprinkled the sacred ash into the pot, the entire pot of liquid suddenly calmed down.
The previously mixed colors gradually merged, finally forming a clear, sky-blue color.
At the same time, the originally full pot of liquid was now less than a fifth of what it was before.
I carefully observed the color and smell of the potion, comparing it with the memory in my mind.
Everything seemed perfect, just as the formula described.
I carefully poured the liquid into the test tubes prepared in advance, although I had prepared five test tubes, the actual final product was only three and a half.
The transparent liquid sloshed gently in the bottle, emitting a faint glow.
I held the test tube up to my face, the potion shimmered with a soft light under the sun, like it contained a small piece of the sky.
“This is the healing potion....”
I recalled the name of the potion in my mind.
“Blue Light.”