Chapter 42: Simple Deduction

“I'm back.”

Veronica pushed open the living room door, took small quick steps to come behind me as I sat on the chair, then reached out and hugged me.

The smell of camphor mixed with the scent of old book pages lingered at the tip of my nose, bringing a sense of peace.

Although the smell was not pleasant.

“Your hands are so cold, Veronica.”

I said, covering Veronica's hands with my own.

“It can't be helped.”

Veronica rested her chin on my shoulder.

“It's so cold outside, I heard the temperature is dropping, you have to remember to wear more layers, okay?”

Veronica's breath gently brushed past my ear, carrying a hint of coquettishness.

“How was class today?”

Veronica asked.

“Miss Catherine took a leave of absence, a new substitute teacher came today, named Ridel.”

I said, my tone as natural as if I were sharing my daily routine.

“His teaching style is very interesting, many people were captivated.”

In the dim living room, the warm light enveloped our figures.

After warming up a bit, Veronica loosened her embrace slightly and walked around to sit next to me.

“By the way, Veronica, your library, is anyone still donating books to it?”

I suddenly asked.

“Hm? Not anymore.”

Hearing this, Veronica gently shook her head.

“The last batch of books that was sent was already a lot, if more are sent, the library won't be able to fit them.”

“Then have all those books been placed on the shelves?”

“Yes, thanks to that, I've been so busy these past few days.”

Veronica mumbled, “Because I have to separate books of different genres, and also find suitable places for them on the shelves.... It's so tiring. Why did you suddenly ask about this, is there a book you want to borrow?”

“No, I was just curious.”

I shook my head.

“Alright then, if you want to read, you can come over anytime.”

Veronica said, then stood up.

“I'm going to take a shower now.”

“Mm.”

I answered softly, watching Veronica enter the bathroom.

The moment the bathroom door closed, the sound of flapping wings came from behind me.

Looking back, the white dove from The Fifth Department was slowly descending, then landed on the windowsill.

“Good evening, Miss Rossetti, I hope my arrival has not disturbed you.”

“Mr. Dove?”

I was a little surprised, “Is something the matter?”

“Yes, it's about the matter at the dessert shop yesterday.”

The dove preened its feathers for a moment, then continued:

“After our confirmation, that attack by the Omniscience Society was aimed at you, but it seems there have been some.... disagreements within their ranks.”

“How do you know?”

Hearing the dove's words, I was momentarily stunned.

The other party's account was exactly the same as the information I had learned.

“Simple deduction.”

The dove raised its head, its tone carrying a hint of pride.

“The Omniscience Society's target is the Quintessence within you, and according to their methods, they should have chosen a more moderate approach. For example, designing a trap to make you fall into it unknowingly, so as not to arouse your suspicion, thus avoiding unnecessary conflict, and further preventing you from entering the Development Phase. At the same time, this way they wouldn't be noticed by the Church and us, for something as important as the god's descent ritual, they would absolutely not want any complications. And—”

The dove paused, then continued: “If they were truly determined to do it, then they should have seen it through to the end. Sending only three people, two The Baptized, one Prima Materia stage, to carry out a terrorist attack of this scale is a bit of an underestimation of The Fifth Department. The only explanation is that there is a disagreement within the Omniscience Society, and these people were clearly acting on their own.”

The dove said.

“As for the consequences, one doesn't need to think to know what happens when you mess around with such an important matter.

Thanks to these guys, the Omniscience Society has started to get anxious, they've begun to speed up, and have even abandoned several strongholds.”

“So.... are you here to report your achievements to me?”

I glanced in the direction of the bathroom, then asked.

“No, I came to ask if you encountered anything today.”

The dove said, “Since the Omniscience Society has started to speed up, as an indispensable part of the entire ritual, it is impossible for them to ignore you.”

“Speaking of which.... a new substitute teacher came to our school today, I think he might be a member of the Omniscience Society.”

I told the dove about Ridel, and added Vilnia's account.

“I understand.”

After listening to my description, the dove gave a very human-like slight nod.

“Miss Catherine, we will go check on her situation, as for the school. Without knowing what the other party is planning to do, you and Miss Randell please do not act rashly.”

“We won't.”

“This is just a necessary reminder.”

After saying that, the dove began to flap its wings.

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

With that, the dove took flight and disappeared into the night.

At the same time, the bathroom door was pushed open, and Veronica, radiating heat, walked out.

“Who were you talking to, Mel?”

“No one, I was just talking to myself.”

I answered softly, my gaze still fixed on the night outside the window.

“Is that so?”

Veronica said, drying her wet long hair, “I thought I heard a voice just now.”

“It probably came from next door.”

I turned around and said, looking at Veronica.

Amidst the steam, Veronica exuded a faint scent of shower gel.

She was wearing loose pajamas, and tiny water droplets were still dripping from her hair.

“Then I'm going to dry my hair.”

Veronica said, walking towards the dressing table.

“Let me help you.”

I picked up a dry towel and walked behind Veronica.

Hearing this, Veronica smiled and sat down, letting me take the towel and begin to gently dry her long hair.

The room was filled with a faint scent of shower gel, mixed with moist steam, creating a warm and intimate atmosphere.

After helping Veronica dry her hair, I also went into the bathroom.

Taking advantage of the lingering heat in the bathroom from Veronica's shower, I took off my clothes.

A sliver of cold wind blew in through the window crack, making me shudder involuntarily, and I quickly slipped into the wooden tub filled with hot water.

“Huu”

The hot water enveloped my body, bringing a comfortable warmth.

I leaned against the edge of the wooden tub, closed my eyes, and began to think about what had happened today.

Ridel's appearance was clearly not a coincidence, the Omniscience Society could no longer wait, but their so-called method was to send a teacher to infiltrate the school.... this was too strange.

What could Ridel accomplish all by himself?

My brow furrowed slightly, and for no reason, I thought of those workers.

“The school doesn't have any new construction or repairs scheduled, why are there so many workers? Vilnia said they were moving something, what could it be”

Suddenly, I seemed to think of something, my brow furrowing slightly.

“Could it be books?”

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