Mist Empire’s Rise: Fake Noble to Fog Queen

After about ten minutes, Luo Wei finally raised her head. Warm liquid flowed from her eyes and nostrils - this was the second time she had experienced bleeding from all seven orifices.

Her hands and clothes were covered in dirt, but she dared not wipe her face, unsure how many capillaries had burst inside her facial orifices. She feared that introducing bacteria might cause an infection.

Fortunately, it wasn't a cerebral hemorrhage - cranial surgery wasn't exactly advanced in this era. The doctors only knew how to open skulls, not close them back up.

Luo Wei struggled to her feet, supporting herself with the net pole, her slender frame swaying precariously in the cold wind.

Even just thinking about the framework of such a high-level magic array in her mind would cause backlash. To deconstruct it, she had to first deceive herself.

If this was her previous life, when she didn't know what magic runes were, she might have easily memorized the rune patterns. But now that she knew, returning to that blank slate state was much more difficult.

Though difficult, it wasn't entirely impossible.

As the saying goes, a long-term patient becomes half a doctor. In her previous life, she had undergone so many psychological therapy sessions that she had almost become a half-trained psychologist before transmigrating. While she couldn't fully hypnotize herself, she could at least plant a light psychological suggestion.

Luo Wei tried to convince herself that the school's layout was just an ordinary map with no special properties. She was memorizing it only to make the remaining twenty-eight days of patrol duty more convenient.

Just thinking about enduring twenty-eight more nights, she didn't even need psychological suggestion - her brain automatically filtered out the complex content, leaving only dullness and exhaustion.

When would these bitter days end?

Looking weathered, Luo Wei leaned on her net pole and slowly made her way down the hillside.

There was still over an hour until dawn. She still needed to patrol the warning line one more time, then clock in at the main gate before she could return to the dormitory.

The academy's main gate was on the west side of the racetrack. Rather than taking the longer route along the walls, Luo Wei chose to cut across the academy grounds.

It was January 22nd, and the moonlight was fairly bright tonight.

The stone brick path gleamed white in the moonlight, with frost coating the withered grass along both sides.

A flickering light shadow fell across the lawn. Luo Wei looked up to see what appeared to be a candle burning in a small window of the church tower. The window wasn't properly closed, and the wind made the flame dance unsteadily.

Without realizing it, she had already reached the main cathedral.

Who would still be up in the tower at this hour?

Suddenly the wind grew stronger, blowing the upstairs window wide open. The weak flame was immediately extinguished, plunging the tower back into darkness.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Luo Wei tilted her head up, her black pupils dilating slightly.

Though the wind was still blowing, the two inward-opening window panels slowly closed before her eyes.

In the black gap between the closing panels, she thought she glimpsed two faint blue lights and a pair of black hands - they looked human, yet also somewhat like those of a primate.

Just as the window sealed shut, Luo Wei sensed the dark element fluctuating in the air.

A dark mage?

Or perhaps a student with dark element affinity?

Luo Wei checked the sky - the moon was still up, so a few minutes' delay shouldn't be a problem.

She gently set down her net and approached the church wall, running her hand over the rough, solid surface.

Gothic architecture featured abundant decorative elements, with ornamental windows, pillars and reliefs covering the walls. There were supports for standing or gripping everywhere.

Luo Wei rolled up her sleeves and began climbing, using both hands and feet.

Rock climbing in her past life, wall climbing in this one - it only took her three minutes to reach just below that window.

Once she climbed up, she discovered this window didn't lead to an attic, but to a side corridor at the top of the church. That explained the narrow lancet windows that could be opened.

Through the stained glass panes, she could see a dim hallway, with the far end as black as ink - even if someone was hiding there, they wouldn't be visible.

Not wanting to startle whoever was inside, Luo Wei observed quietly from the window for a while. Hearing no movement, she felt somewhat disappointed.

Just as she was about to head back down, she lowered her head when suddenly there was a creaking sound. The window in front of her was pulled open from inside, and a pitch-black head emerged from the middle.

【Ah—】

A silent scream exploded beside her ear. Luo Wei jerked her head up to see two ghostly blue flames, nearly stopping her heart in fright.

Before she could make out the other's face, they had already rapidly retreated back into the depths of the corridor, leaving behind a string of terrified screams.

【Ah! Monster! So scary, so scary...】

【Scary...】

Luo Wei's grip loosened, and she almost fell from the wall.

Monster? Scary?

Who exactly scared whom?!

She peered through the window frame - with the window open, it was slightly brighter inside. She could faintly make out a black figure trembling like a sieve, hiding at the end of the side corridor.

A soul, afraid of humans!

Luo Wei took out her magic wand and lit a large flame to illuminate the space: "Who are you? Why are you hiding here?"

The soul trembled once, parting the fingers covering its eyes to reveal two streaks of ethereal blue light.

【Wh-what kind of monster are you? Why have you come to our academy?】

"Our academy?" Luo Wei looked at him curiously. "What's your connection to the academy?"

The soul seemed to realize from her voice that she wasn't a monster. Its trembling subsided slightly.

【Answer my question first!】

Luo Wei replied honestly: "I'm not a monster. I'm a student here."

【A student? A magic apprentice?】

The soul lowered its pitch-black hands, its tone turning somewhat stern.

【How can students be out late at night, dressed like this? You're violating school rules!】

"I'm patrolling the warning line. I'm not dressed up, and I haven't violated any rules," Luo Wei stared intently at him. "It's your turn to answer - who are you?"

The soul remained silent for a while, then turned its back to her.

【I am a soul. Are you not afraid of me?】

"What's there to fear about a soul? Weren't you just a person like me when you were alive?" Luo Wei's gaze fell on his curved spine. "Now will you tell me who you are?"

The soul's shoulders moved slightly, but its back hunched even more.

Just when Luo Wei thought he wouldn't answer, he suddenly spoke.

【My name is Wordsworth. When I was alive... I was a puppeteer.】

Luo Wei nodded: "Wordsworth, puppeteer. I'll remember that."

【And you? What's your name?】

"I'm Luo Wei, a junior magic apprentice." Seeing his waist nearly bent to the ground, Luo Wei averted her gaze and said, "I need to go patrol the warning line. Goodbye, Wordsworth."

【Goodbye...】

The sound of rustling fabric came from the window. After a while, Wordsworth turned around, but the slender figure was already gone.

He floated to the window, watching the girl's silhouette disappear into the distance. His pitch-black hand touched the windowsill, feeling for and finding a short candle stub in the right corner.

This candle had been discarded downstairs after someone else used it. He had picked it up, originally just wanting to light it to see its glow.

Unexpectedly, it had brought him an even brighter light.

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