High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1235: Chapter 297 Between Hope

The Yellow Flowered Cat’s ears twitched sharply, and its previously dazed eyes suddenly sparkled with vitality.

Standing under the tree, Vice Principal Ruoyu immediately noticed its movement. His fingers, which were pinching the wolf-headed staff, tightened, and he slightly lifted his chin to look up at the Flower Cat in the tree.

”Back already?” he asked, though his tone was very certain.

A moment before, the Yellow Flowered Cat atop the tree had suddenly become absentminded, its body was still perched on the branch but its consciousness had wandered to some other place. The Elder Wizard below the tree easily deduced the situation and stopped his subordinate wizards from ”cleaning” up the scene, waiting in silence.

Until the Yellow Flowered Cat ”returned.”

Hearing the question from the Vice Principal below, the Yellow Flowered Cat snorted.

”Pfft.” It lifted a paw, rubbed its nose, looked down at the few wizards beneath the tree, and said in a drawn-out voice, ”The little old man said you should clean up the forest, and that’s enough. He’ll handle the rest... Oh, and tell the School Works Committee to send interrogation letters to Nicolas and Satoguya. Yeah. That’s it.”

”The interrogation letters have been sent.” Vice Principal Ruoyu raised his head, his two black eyes staring intently at the Yellow Flowered Cat above, slightly emphasizing his tone, ”Is that all?”

”That’s all.” The Yellow Flowered Cat nonchalantly flicked the transparent sphere in front of it, watching the small sapling inside tumble around, its tone grew a bit impatient, ”Oh, right, I’ll be taking a few little ones with me... You can manage the wrap-up.”

The Vice Principal grunted.

”They’ve illegally set up magic circles, unlawfully summoned Outer Gods, and destroyed a small world, breaking at least thirty prohibitions in the ’Wizard’s Code,’ not to mention the school’s regulations!” He paused his walking stick, and the whole forest seemed to tremble with it, ”The Mage Alliance will come for them!”

”Since when does First University wait on the Alliance’s approval?” The Yellow Flowered Cat rolled its eyes, tossed the sphere high into the air, then with one leap, slid gracefully down from the tree.

Once on the ground, it stood its tail up straight. The sphere fell from the air, landing on the tip of its tail, spinning ceaselessly.

”That’s not an excuse.” The Vice Principal, quite unusually, kept his opinion to himself in front of the Flower Cat.

The Yellow Flowered Cat yawned widely and hummed, ”The reason is that you’re not the headmaster of First University... is that enough?”

The Elder Wizard took a deep look at the Flower Cat.

Finally, he nodded.

”Enough.”

With that, he leaned on his wolf-headed staff, turned around, and disappeared into the gloomy clearing of the forest. The layer of golden light that had been suspended in mid-air, like a ”heavenly net,” seemed to receive some message, and as the Elder Wizard vanished, it too crumbled into countless light points, along with the figures of the black-robed wizards standing at the nodes of the net.

The golden light points cascaded down like a waterfall.

Green shoots sprang from the charred tree stumps left in the wake of the explosion. The soil churned, the earth groaned, and where the forest had been leveled by the blast, rounded mounds of earth rose, bringing forth new, tall trees, and thick shrubs dotted with buds.

Mousewives scurried under the bushes, crickets chirped from their burrows, and bees buzzed, landing among the blooming flowers, busily bustling as if they naturally belonged there.

In the depths of the forest, faint roars of wild beasts and the disturbance of flocks of birds could be heard.

The chaotic magic power had been smoothed out, the air became fresh, the woods turned verdant, and the silent vitality surged back to life.

Jiang Yu witnessed all of this, and for some reason, the tears that had dried up began to well up in her eyes again.

Only between death and life could one witness such a magnificent scene.

Yellow Flowered Cat caught a glimpse of the witch’s tears and showed a hint of annoyance on its feline face.

”Ugh... why the crying all of a sudden?” It shook its ears and whiskers, sounding somewhat irritated, ”I have already chased away that Trickster little old man for you... You won’t be disciplined by the school. Isn’t this something to be happy about?”

”Tears don’t just flow in sorrow, they also flow in joy,” a slightly hoarse voice answered Yellow Flowered Cat’s confusion.

Korma waddled over to Jiang Yu and then bowed her head to look at Yellow Flowered Cat at her feet:

”It’s a joy to witness life bloom after death.”

”Blathering on, that’s why I hate talking to Wizards,” the Yellow Flowered Cat rubbed its nose tip and flicked its tail, sending the orb spinning in front of it, landing between its two paws.

Korma took a serious look at the orb, at the little sapling inside it that wavered unsteadily.

After a long while, as if she was talking to herself, or perhaps softly speaking to the other onlookers, she said:

”I was born in the North District, surrounded mostly by Tricksters as neighbors and playmates. Growing up, I’ve seen too much of the struggle between life and death, too many faces of despair.”

”My father once said, ’Only a wizard can understand another wizard.’ In the Secret Realm’s mini-world, when I was dragged into the void by Satoguya’s contract, I suddenly remembered these words. No particular reason, just out of despair.”

”Only the despairing can understand the despairing.”

”Only those who cling to a sliver of hope can know how precious that sliver of hope in another’s heart is.”

”I have a sliver of hope, and Elena has her sliver of hope too.”

”Now, as I grasp at this sliver of hope and return from the Abyss, I hope she has the same chance; I hope she too can return.”

The witch’s voice was very calm, as was her expression.

But Yellow Flowered Cat looked at her uneasily.

It sensed the intense emotion suppressed beneath the calmness of this newly initiated Big Wizard at its side, as if it were about to burst forth in the next moment, scorching the forest back into ashen wasteland.

”She’ll come back,” it pressed a paw against the orb, tilting its head up to look at Korma, murmuring in comfort, ”The Gypsy Little Witch will return, and that little rascal Zheng Qing will too... everything will get better.”

”Do we need to do anything?” Jiang Yu wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled, ”I can write a ten-thousand-word self-critique, or pay a hefty compensation to the school.”

”Hiss...” Yellow Flowered Cat sucked in a breath of cold air, its flat feline face showing the grimace of a toothache, ”Shi Hui will like your suggestion. As for me... I suggest you go back to school and get a good night’s sleep, maybe take some sleeping pills. If all goes well, you might have to meet Mr. Zheng Qing tonight.”

”As for you,” Yellow Flowered Cat turned its head to look at Korma, ”I’ll keep this little sapling safe for now. You’re not in a stable condition right now, and you need to find a quiet retreat to settle your spirits for a while... Don’t worry, the school won’t trouble you.”