Chapter 382 : Symphony of the Soul
Chapter 382: Symphony of the Soul
The next day, Turin Train Station.
“Good morning, Senior Gawen.”
Inside the waiting hall, Janna walked up to Gawen-Tull, who was sitting alone on a bench, and greeted her with a smile.
“Janna? I didn’t even recognize you!”
Originally lost in thought on the bench, Gawen-Tull looked up and was delighted to see Janna wrapped from head to toe in a scarf and hat, her face almost completely hidden. She stood up happily and gave Janna a long-awaited hug.
“The last time at the Academy during the preliminary assessment, I wanted to sit down and have a good talk with you. But that day something urgent came up, and I had to put it off.”
Hearing Gawen-Tull’s words, Janna nodded in understanding and handed over the hot coffee she was carrying.
“The weather is cold, have something warm to heat yourself up.”
“You’re so thoughtful.”
Taking the coffee, Gawen-Tull pulled Janna down to sit with her again on the station bench.
“By the way, didn’t Professor McGee come with you?”
“No, but she should be arriving soon.”
That morning, just before leaving, Janna had received a message delivered by a Rook in Lilith-McGee’s voice.
The general meaning was that Janna should go on ahead and not wait for her. Once Lilith-McGee finished her work, she would head over.
Because of that, Janna, who had originally planned to go with Lilith-McGee to the Steam Train Station, came by herself instead.
“Turin’s winter is really cold. Coming back this year, I’m finding it a little hard to get used to.”
After taking a big sip of the hot coffee, Gawen-Tull finally felt a bit warmer, though her still-trembling body betrayed how cold she really was.
“Senior, are you injured?”
Seeing the genuine tremor in Gawen-Tull’s body, Janna, herself a Third Tier Wizard Apprentice, immediately noticed something was wrong.
After all, upon advancing to Third Tier Wizard Apprentice, even apprentices from the 【Elemental Side】 or 【Mystic Side】 who weren’t known for strong constitutions, wouldn’t be so cold-sensitive outdoors in winter weather.
Just like Janna herself—after advancing to Third Tier, even wearing only a thin layer of clothing in subzero temperatures of twenty to thirty below, she would feel a little cold, but she wouldn’t shiver like Gawen-Tull.
“As expected of you, you noticed my problem right away.”
Hearing Janna’s concerned question, Gawen-Tull downed her coffee in big gulps but still praised her.
“Some time ago, I accidentally suffered backlash from my 【Curse】 during an experiment. So now I’m especially sensitive to both cold and heat. But it’s nothing serious. I’ve experienced curse backlash many times before—already used to it...”
As a Wizard Apprentice with a 【Curse】 talent, Gawen-Tull had abundant experience with curse resistance.
Unfortunately, even the hunter sometimes became the prey. No matter how much experience she had, she loved experimenting too much, and that inevitably led to the occasional failure.
“Whoosh—!”
The sharp steam whistle suddenly blared. Checking her pocket watch and seeing there were still fifteen minutes before departure, Janna gently held Gawen-Tull’s cold hand. Then, an Invisibility Barrier quietly formed around the two of them.
“Senior, would you like me to try?”
“Try what—?”
Just as Gawen-Tull set her coffee cup down, she saw the sudden barrier appear around them, and her expression froze. Only after hearing Janna’s words did she realize what she intended.
“You’re not thinking of treating the backlash from my curse, are you?”
“That’s right.”
Looking into Janna’s eyes—bright as stars beneath her wide wizard hood—Gawen-Tull was briefly dazed. Then she recalled what had happened during the preliminary assessment.
“I remember now, among the 【Law Fragments】 you possess, one of them is the 【Law of Purification】. It really is suitable for dispelling curse-type magic—”
But before she could finish speaking, a warm energy flowed gently from Janna’s palm, like a trickling stream, silently seeping into Gawen-Tull’s icy hand and spreading throughout her body.
Wrapped in the Purifying Power, Gawen-Tull felt warmth return to her for the first time in a long while. Yet that warmth lasted only a fleeting moment before vanishing.
“The curse backlash on me has already reached the level of soul corruption. Even the power of a 【Fragment of the Law of Purification】 can hardly erase it. But I still have to thank you, Janna.”
Feeling the purifying power fade, Gawen-Tull shrugged nonchalantly, but her gratitude toward Janna was genuine.
“So the problem lies on the soul level...”
Smiling faintly, Janna didn’t remove the barrier. Instead, she took Gawen-Tull’s hand again, and under her puzzled gaze, she began to softly sing.
“La la——la la la—”
“Janna, what are you doing——”
Like a breeze stirring gauzy curtains at the bedside, like gentle waves lapping against the rocks, the moment Janna began singing,
All of Gawen-Tull’s doubts fell silent.
“This feeling is——the soul being purified.”
Though her body remained in Turin’s Steam Train Station, Gawen-Tull felt as if her soul had entered a realm of radiant holy light—light, joyful, peaceful—as though all filth and pain were washed away by Janna’s heavenly song.
“Senior Gawen, do you still feel cold now?”
“Huh?”
Still immersed in the “dream,” Gawen-Tull suddenly regained awareness when she felt her hand being gently patted. She blinked back to reality, staring blankly at Janna with an expression of longing.
“How do you feel now? Still cold?”
Seeing Gawen-Tull’s entranced look, Janna—who had just sung the 【Symphony of the Soul: First Movement】 for the first time—felt a little unsure, so she lowered her voice and softly repeated her question.
“I feel wonderful!”
As Janna lifted the barrier, the sharp steam whistle rang out again. Along with it came billowing steam, surging like ocean waves through the waiting hall.
“Janna, how on earth did you do that? How could your singing purify the curse’s corruption on the soul? This is unbelievable!”
“Senior, Professor McGee has arrived.”