Survival Guide After Accidentally Kissing a Demon - chapter 16

Messenger Yue’s voice sounded outside the door.

She snapped back to herself, temporarily suppressing her anger, hurriedly got up and tidied herself, put on the Nun’s headscarf, then followed Messenger Yue out of the attic room.

As they were about to reach the corridor, Beili suddenly recalled the ‘Magic Lock’ she’d heard about earlier, so she paid extra attention. Sure enough, she saw Messenger Yue’s sleeve flash with a blue light as he stepped across the corridor, and the pale wall of the passage vanished.

So this is the Magic Lock.

Beili muttered inwardly.

Perhaps sensing Beili’s gaze, Messenger Yue turned his head and smiled, asking, “Miss Bartholomew, do you have any questions?”

Even if she did, could she really ask…

Beili shook her head and quietly withdrew her gaze.

They went down the stairs.

Passing through a secluded, long path, Beili realized their final destination was a church.

Three Red Cardinals were already waiting inside.

Led by Messenger Yue, Beili entered the church.

The lighting inside was dim, only a few candles burning, casting a faint glow.

The Red Cardinals sat on the church benches, speaking in low voices.

Seeing the two figures approach, they stopped talking, their eyes falling on the girl.

At Messenger Yue’s instruction, the girl knelt on a leather cushion, palms pressed together in a prayerful pose.

Rows of candles burned in the church, the flames flickering across the girl’s calm face, illuminating the three Red Cardinals on the steps.

Obvious compassion showed on their faces, but in the depths of their eyes was only indifference.

The red robes glowed with a blood-red light in the candlelight.

“Bartholomew Constance.”

A somewhat hoarse voice came from the center Red Cardinal.

“We are aware of your misfortune. The Holy Church Academy will use the power of healing to help you recover your voice.”

As the words fell, Messenger Yue took a bottle of Holy Water from the left Red Cardinal.

He stepped down from the platform and came to the girl’s side.

“Miss Bartholomew, please drink the Holy Water,” he said.

Staring at the bottle pressed to her face, Beili couldn’t help but swallow.

She knew she’d come to Holy Island Academy for treatment, but hadn’t expected the process to move so quickly.

She’d experienced Doctor Cassius’s seven-day treatment cycles, each repeated three times or more, followed by a major re-examination.

So Beili naturally assumed that purification at Holy Island Academy would take at least a month.

But how come on the very first day on the island, after less than two days, she was brought here for treatment?

And right from the start, it was three bigwigs of the Holy Church Academy, looking like they intended to cure her tonight…

No wonder the king had issued a last-minute order, not even giving advance notice to pack-he’d never planned for her to stay long, just a one-way trip…

But she still wanted to look for a magic to return home here!

A vein throbbed faintly on her forehead; Beili suddenly felt the situation was getting tricky.

“Thud!”

The Scepter struck the ground with a sudden, muffled sound.

Still caught in hesitation and doubt, Beili didn’t react in time. Kneeling on the leather cushion, her body suddenly went rigid, and she opened her mouth uncontrollably.

Are they… forcing her to drink?

Beili’s eyes widened in surprise.

Messenger Yue lowered his gaze to avoid the girl’s eyes, maintaining a gentle smile as he slowly poured the Holy Water into her mouth.

A bitter liquid was poured in.
She wanted to vomit, but her body felt as if it were tightly bound, unable to move an inch.

The liquid had already slid down her throat into her stomach.

The icy Holy Water turned scalding, like molten lava.

A fierce burning sensation erupted in her throat. Beili’s forehead broke out in a fine cold sweat, her eyes wide and bloodshot, quickly turning crimson.

She didn’t know what would happen next, only that her stomach churned again and again.

Just then, a stabbing pain rose from her chest, instantly sweeping through her entire body.

Her heart felt as if it were gripped by an invisible hand-squeezed, kneaded, torn apart.

The next second, her body, stiff as stone, suddenly regained control.

Unable to suppress the urge to vomit any longer, Beili shoved Messenger Yue aside and bent over, retching violently.

The colorless, tasteless Holy Water, after swirling in her throat and being expelled, had turned pitch black like ink.

The black liquid sizzled as it corroded the floor, quickly turning into black mist and dissipating, leaving only a small depression behind.

One drop, two drops, three drops…

Bright red blood began to flow from her nose and mouth, dripping onto the floor, growing in quantity.

She felt as if she were dying.

Why was her body in such agony…

Was that bottle of Holy Water actually poison?

Bartholomew was a Noble, the young lady of the Constance Family.

She had come here at the command of the King of Santos, sent to Holy Island Academy for treatment.

Beili couldn’t understand why this was happening.

The thought that the Holy Church Academy treated the Noble ladies sent here in such a way sent chills down her spine.

The three people on the steps were whispering about something, their voices entering Beili’s ears as a vague buzzing.

The small pit and blood on the floor twisted and spun before her eyes.

Her head was dizzy.

“Dong!-Dong!-Dong…”

The church bell rang out in the darkness, striking twelve times.

Her vision blurred, and besides the bell, it seemed she could hear wretched, hoarse wails.

……

When she regained consciousness again, she was already back in the attic room.

Outside, it was daytime.

Beili cleared her throat and was suddenly delighted to discover she could speak again.

Although the healing process of that bottle of Holy Water had been excruciating, she had to admit it was indeed effective.

Realizing she had wrongly blamed the senior magicians of the Holy Church Academy, Beili sat up abruptly in bed, silently muttering an apology, still finding it hard to believe.

She was briefly excited, but as something occurred to her, her mood quickly sank again.

Being able to speak also meant she would have to leave Holy Island Academy.

Ugh… She recovered too quickly, with no chance to visit the library to see if there was a way to return home.

Would she have to go back and ask the Count and Countess to remove Susanna from the Holy Island Academy’s roster…

Wouldn’t that be too risky?

As she was still struggling with this, hurried footsteps approached, and the attic room’s door was suddenly flung open.

Beili was startled, and the next second met the anxious gaze of the Nun.

“Thank goodness…”

Seeing Beili safe and sound, the Nun’s expression relaxed, and she leaned against the doorframe, letting out a sigh of relief.

“What happened? Why the rush?” Beili asked.

“The Magic Lock on the passage has been broken…”

The Nun replied, then quickly realized something, her face lighting up with joy. “Miss Bartholomew, you can speak again!”