Chapter 10: Is Miss Shiya about to play the role of Sick Jiao?

After the door to the Dean’s Office was slammed shut behind her, Shiya didn’t dare relax in the slightest.

Instead, she quickened her pace, sprinting back the way she had come.

That giant insect clearly wasn’t something a few people could satisfy.

Who could say when it might burst out and devour Shiya as well?

But what she never expected was that the ones to break through the door and give chase first would be several “survivors” led by Toby.

“You bitch, I’ll kill you!”

Toby’s furious roar exploded behind her.

Shiya didn’t stop running.

She grabbed a folded wheelchair from beside the corridor and hurled it backward with all her might.

Bang!

A survivor was solidly struck.

His shin bone let out a sharp, sickening crack, instantly twisting into an exaggerated angle.

Even so, that person still hobbled along, chasing after her like a madman.

Shiya frowned, glancing back, her heart sinking a few degrees.

These people were truly relentless in their pursuit of her.

Had they not considered that such a huge commotion might attract nearby monsters?

Or perhaps…

A survivor suddenly leaped out from a corner ahead, spreading his arms to tackle her to the ground.

Shiya’s eyes turned unprecedentedly icy.

Without hesitation, she pulled out the sharp scalpel she had hidden earlier and stabbed it with precise and ruthless force into the other’s wrist.

For a moment, she expected a survivor’s scream and a spray of blood.

But that scene didn’t happen.

She looked down.

A stream of black, foul-smelling mud was oozing from the survivor’s opened wrist, creeping along the scalpel, almost reaching her fingertips.

Her stomach instantly churned.

The “survivor” also looked down at his “wound,” opening a mouth filled with yellow mud and already festering, yellowed teeth.

“That hurts…”

As the words fell, he let out a strange, rasping laugh.

When he looked up, Shiya had already nimbly ducked, slipping past under his arm.

Her earlier suspicion was confirmed.

Right now, ‘shock’ was completely inadequate to describe Shiya’s feelings.

Toby behind her was completely unaffected.

Even after merging with the monsters, he still chased after her relentlessly.

This made her instantly understand—

From the very beginning, this whole thing had been a play staged by the mud people themselves.

And she and Leonora had, unknowingly, stepped right into the trap the other side had meticulously laid.

They had argued, separated, and step by step fallen into the carefully arranged script.

A sense of powerlessness instantly flooded her heart.

But then again, this was also good.

At least Leonora wouldn’t have to take care of her while also guarding against betrayal from those around them.

A young girl’s stamina is ultimately limited.

Seeing a dead end ahead, Shiya could only dart into a nearby medical room, dragging a table over to barricade the door.

Violent pounding sounded from outside the door, each thud feeling like a blow to her heart.

Amidst the panic, she didn’t just wait for death.

She still forced her weakened body to search frantically around the medical room.

This might be useless, but she at least had to live up to this inexplicable transmigration, live up to what little remained of her life.

Perhaps the goddess of this other world was truly watching over her.

Shiya actually found a bottle of alcohol in a drawer, along with a silver lighter.

The lighter was engraved with an unknown family crest.

Shiya felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if she had seen it in a game before.

Moreover, the color of the alcohol was brighter than any she had seen before, like a flame about to rise.

The monsters outside seemed to have gotten smarter.

With the front door blocked, they started smashing the window.

Tiny shards of glass splattered onto her.

Shiya paid no mind.

She tore down the curtain from another window and carefully, meticulously, doused every inch of the fabric with the alcohol.

Crash!

The window glass shattered completely.

Toby, his body hair gone, skin covered in a layer of yellow mud, clambered onto the windowsill. His bloodshot eyes locked onto her.

But what greeted him was the alcohol-soaked curtain Shiya flung at him.

Toby’s vision was blocked.

Just as he tried to tear off the rag, a crisp and pleasant sound of a lighter flipping open rang by his ear.

The next second, scorching red flames roared up his entire body.

Extreme high temperatures instantly melted his limbs, turning them into puddles of black mud.

Toby could only let out an inhuman shriek, glaring at Shiya who was so close, but in the end, he fell out the window unwillingly.

But before Shiya could even catch her breath, the flames outside the window began to weaken.

A series of strange footsteps approached from the distance, as if something was stepping into a murky swamp, splashing up black waves, drawing closer step by step.

Her heart tightened.

It seemed the mud people had lost patience with their cat-and-mouse game.

Shiya refused to give up. She continued searching, praying to find a decent weapon.

Then, in an extremely conspicuous spot, she found a cardboard box.

Opening it, she saw dozens of bottles of alcohol neatly stacked inside.

Shiya’s eyebrow twitched.

It seemed a certain young lady had anticipated her escape route and prepared everything for her in advance.

Looking around, she couldn’t see that familiar figure.

Without further hesitation, she grabbed a bottle of alcohol and hurled it with force.

The bottle shattered, alcohol splashing out, and the flames suddenly surged.

The expected screams of monsters didn’t come.

There was only the crackling sound of semi-solid matter rushing into the sea of fire one after another, only to be burned and solidify into clumps.

Shiya covered her nose, enduring the pungent smell of burning mixed with a fishy stench.

She threw out over a dozen more bottles of alcohol before that eerie, unsettling sound finally vanished completely.

But the moment she relaxed, she realized a more serious problem.

The fire she had personally ignited, now with no monsters to block it, was burning more and more fiercely, completely sealing off all escape routes.

‘Am I going to… become the world’s first idiot to cook herself into a crab?’

The girl who had been extremely calm just moments ago was now at a complete loss.

Just then, the increasingly violent fire outside was suddenly swept up and absorbed by an invisible force.

Accompanied by the steady, powerful sound of leather boots landing, a figure appeared at the shattered window.

Leonora gently tapped the windowsill with her staff, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Open the door. Don’t make me climb through the window.”

After entering, the young lady first offered a polite, sarcastic remark, which also served as a greeting.

“I never imagined our usually gentle and frail Miss Shiya could be so brutal when it comes to killing people and setting fires.”

Shiya sighed helplessly.

“Those survivors were all monsters in disguise. And weren’t these alcohol bottles provided by you, young lady?”

Shiya pursed her lips, unable to suppress the flutter in her heart, and asked softly in return, “Didn’t I tell you to go find the exit yourself? Why did you come back?”

Shiya was more concerned about whether an exit had been found.

But the thought that Leonora had turned back to save her made her heart feel as sweet as if she had eaten a dozen honeyed dates all at once.

Leonora didn’t meet her eyes, pretending to casually inspect the surroundings, her tone light and breezy.

“I thought about it again. I’ll still need you to be my spy by the Crown Princess’s side in the future, so you can’t die somewhere I can’t see right now.”

‘Besides, what other exit? That was just an excuse I made up to take advantage of the chaos and pull Shiya away from those troublesome people who could turn into monsters at any moment.’

‘It was this idiot Shiya who, claiming it was for my own good, insisted I act alone. She ended up making everything worse and nearly got herself killed several times.’

As for the fact that she, the young lady, had been secretly following and protecting Shiya all along…

Such a troublesome thing to say out loud didn’t need to be known by this fool who almost set herself on fire.

The little butterflies fluttering in Shiya’s heart settled down somewhat.

She gave an awkward smile, but her tone was utterly serious.

“Then I will definitely prove my usefulness to you, young lady.”

Then, she tapped her chin with a fingertip, humming softly.

“To continue getting closer to Her Highness the Crown Princess, I need to keep my distance from you, young lady, and also act… as if I’m deeply in love with her.”

This was also to avoid anyone noticing anything abnormal about her, a transmigrator.

“I understand.”

Miss Shiya snapped her fingers, then suddenly turned cold, looking at Leonora with a gaze full of disdain.

“Get lost. What if Elena sister misunderstands that there’s something going on between us?”

But the girl’s wholehearted performance and excellent service attitude made Leonora’s face darken instantly.

The young lady’s lips twitched a few times, feeling a surge of stifling irritation in her chest.

Then her gaze fell on the haphazardly bandaged wound on Shiya’s shoulder.

Her beautiful brows furrowed deeply, and her tone turned cold.

“Take off your clothes. I’ll re-bandage it for you.”

Shiya, who had been expecting praise from the young lady, instantly tensed up.

But remembering that the other had specifically turned back to save her, she decisively made up her mind not to let Leonora’s kindness go to waste and began unbuttoning her clothes.

The soft sound of fabric rustling echoed as her clothes slipped off.

It happened so fast Leonora didn’t even have time to react.

Only when Shiya actively moved closer did she snap out of it, taking two steps back in succession, the back of her head thumping against the shelf behind her.

“What’s wrong, Leonora?”

Shiya used one hand to shield the bountiful fruits beneath her bandages, looking somewhat bewildered at the young lady who was clearly acting strange.

For a moment, Leonora’s gaze didn’t know where to land—not on her collarbone, not on her flat stomach.

Finally, gritting her teeth, she reached out, grabbed Shiya’s arm, picked up a cotton swab, dipped it in the remaining medical alcohol, and pressed it against the wound on her shoulder.

“Mmm— Young lady, g-gently, please…”

Shiya winced in pain, letting out a low hiss.

Leonora’s fingers trembled almost imperceptibly, but her movements remained crisp and efficient, quickly treating the wound.

Then, her gaze shifted to Shiya’s back, and her expression darkened slightly.

Sure enough, the wound near her heart was oozing a faint purple blood.

Just as she had suspected, the mud monster’s attack carried a curse and pollution.

Ordinary medicine couldn’t disinfect it.

And the alcohol in her hands had naturally been personally enchanted by her in advance.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so effective against the monsters disguised as survivors.

Her mood instantly grew heavy, and her tone became more solemn.

“Shiya, take off the bandage on your back too. I need to treat that as well.”

Shiya’s body stiffened instantly.

She looked at Leonora with a guarded expression that made the young lady furious.

“Young lady… that’s really not necessary, is it?”

“Take it off.”

Leonora’s face was dark, her tone firm and leaving no room for refusal.

Faced with the young lady’s suddenly stern gaze, Shiya could no longer refuse.

She obediently turned around, her fingers trembling as she unwound the bandage on her back circle by circle.

Being so defenseless in front of a stranger for the first time made the girl’s movements rather awkward.

Her fingertips accidentally applied too much force, causing the scenery in front of her to bounce slightly.

This scene was perfectly captured by Leonora’s eyes.

Her lips unconsciously grew a little dry.