Chapter 124
Chapter 124: The Differences of White Night Abyss
***
"Wh-what?"
Sarah frowned slightly upon hearing this, looking somewhat angry.
"Little cutie? That's the Pontifical Knight! Peylo, how can you say that about her... What do you mean 'little cutie'!"
She pouted, her slightly chubby baby face trying to look serious, staring at me earnestly with such an adorable expression that I couldn't help but smile, suddenly feeling the urge to tease her.
"Then..." I pretended to ponder for a moment, speaking thoughtfully, "how should I... praise her?"
Hearing my question, Sarah lowered her head, resting her chin on one hand, beginning to think seriously.
"Hmm... let me think... like, you could say she has broad shoulders and a thick waist, or she's as strong as an ox, and so on."
...?
I was somewhat stunned, opening my little mouth slightly, not quite knowing what to say for a moment. Then I heard Sarah continue: "Even though she's a girl, her body is as hard as an iron tower, and the muscles on her arms are even stronger than a man's..."
Uh...
"And also! Because she's a powerful Frost Order user, her whole body is ice-cold, radiating a chilling aura... Her eyes are as sharp as an eagle's, with a gaze that seems to see through everything..."
I started to feel cold all over, shivering.
I really couldn't listen anymore, so I quickly gestured to Sarah: "Stop. Sarah, she's only... 16 years old..."
I had originally planned to hear how she would praise me to make myself happy, but what was she even saying... Wasn't this just insulting someone?
"So what if she's 16! Miss Sylvia is the Pontifical Knight, a hero who slayed the Abyss."
Sarah's tone was very dissatisfied, as if my mentioning that Sylvia was 16 was insulting her. Well, she really was trying to praise someone, but still...
"Uh... but what you said is just too..."
I really didn't know what to say to her.
Because from Sarah's shining eyes, I could tell she genuinely thought that was very cool... But she's a girl, so why would she have such strange taste...
Wait.
Frowning, I suddenly realized... this... the image Sarah was describing, wasn't that exactly what I'd been dreaming of...
"A manly man!"
"...What manly man?" Sarah looked confused.
"I mean, she's a manly man. In my homeland, powerful warriors are all called..."
"Miss Peylo, what are you two talking about? Let me hear too, okay?"
The sudden voice beside my ear startled me so much I jumped, quickly turning my head to see Teacher Theresa's smiling face.
Ah... this is bad...
"Nothing, teacher..."
But from the corner of my eye, I saw that the students had somehow all been curiously watching us... I immediately sat up straight and showed her an ingratiating smile: "We were talking about—"
Talking about what?
I should just make up some excuse about discussing the lesson...
Thinking this, I then saw Teacher Theresa's smile growing even wider.
"About manly men?"
"Hahahaha!"
The students immediately burst into laughter, making my face burn hot. I covered my face in shame, wishing I could find a hole to dive into right then and there.
"No... oh no~"
Feeling somewhat annoyed, I didn't know how to explain. Teacher Theresa must have heard what I said at the end...
At least leave me some dignity, don't say it out loud... How embarrassing.
I sneaked a glance at Sarah and found she was in even worse shape, already lying on the desk with her face buried in the crook of her arm like a turtle withdrawing into its shell.
"Were you two listening to what I was saying just now?"
"Yes..."
As if... After Sarah started talking, I didn't hear a single word... But I absolutely couldn't admit that now.
Holding onto a sliver of hope, I saw Theresa nod in the next moment.
"Alright then. Miss Peylo, you tell me, what was the name of the Abyss that appeared before the Endless one... No looking at your book."
Uh...
If I remember correctly, before the Endless Abyss, wasn't that me!
This was too easy, so I immediately answered: "Peylo... ah, no!"
"Hahahaha—!" Another burst of laughter erupted around me.
"She's been dazzled by manly men..."
"But she's so cute..."
"So she likes that type... I need to work hard then..."
The noisy chatter mixed with laughter made my face turn completely red.
"I said it wrong... it's White Night Abyss..."
Theresa looked at me with some surprise, as if she hadn't expected me to answer correctly.
She gently patted my head: "Don't space out anymore, okay?"
"Mm-hmm." I quickly nodded in agreement.
"Teacher, I'm sorry." Sarah also apologized in a muffled voice.
The topic of manly men ended there. Teacher Theresa turned around and continued: "The location where White Night Abyss appeared was very close to the Endless Abyss, separated only by Woodward Forest. Fortunately, the Church had prepared in advance that time, so the Abyssal mire didn't spread to the surrounding towns, and White Night Abyss was quickly beheaded by Silver Flash Carlos Gonzalez."
...Huh?
So that's what the Church announced publicly?
"However—"
Theresa's change in tone made my heart suddenly sink.
"According to news from the south, this Abyss seems very special. It's different from all previous Abysses... completely different."
!!!
The words she spoke slowly and gently made me clench my small fists nervously.
Could it be... someone leaked the information? That it actually became human...
My heartbeat quickened slightly, my nerves tensed, but then I heard her continue: "This is the first recorded Abyss to possess three abilities. Death Smoke, Frost Order... and reportedly black flames that can emit white light. Besides that, the biggest difference with White Night Abyss is that it seems to possess intelligence."
"This information comes from inside the Church and hasn't been announced publicly. Whether it's true or false still needs verification. But if it is true, then we'll be faced with a fact that's hard to accept — the Abyss monsters are no longer like before, no longer acting like mindless, bloodthirsty savage beasts that only know killing. They're gradually becoming smarter. I think... this is a very dangerous signal. If those monsters gain intelligence, learn to advance and retreat, know how to leverage their strengths and avoid weaknesses, or even use tactics to ambush us... when that time comes, eliminating them will become much more difficult..."
Phew—
I let out a long breath.
That really scared me just now... Fortunately, she was talking about something else.
Good... good... The fact that I can turn into a human hasn't been exposed, even though the information about "possessing intelligence" has been leaked.
But I think I'm safe for now.
Aside from those who know the truth, no one would think such a monster could turn into a human.
However, from what Teacher Theresa said, it seems I have one more ability than other Abysses?
I indeed possess three abilities: black smoke... they call it "Death Smoke," and I can also compress that smoke into black flames. Although these flames currently have no temperature and I haven't discovered any special properties other than that, they just seem to go "bang bang bang" and explode... but considering the Endless Abyss's "shaping" ability, these flames must be special, I just don't know how to use them properly.
And I don't really dare to use them either.