Standing in the chilly morning breeze outside the Dormitory Building, Dorothea's expression had gone from shock and panic to numbness—and a trace of fervor.
Even if she could see through walls and spot the people about to come out, she might not have been able to dodge them herself, right?
She was too strong-
"Vanessa," Dorothea said, gripping her shoulders solemnly, her tone utterly serious. "This split personality of yours-whatever you do, don't get it treated!"
"What if you get cured and end up stuck with that useless personality that only knows how to read? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?!"
Even Vanessa's expressionless face twitched.
"Is there some kind of wake word? Something I can shout when there's trouble to make this personality come out and save the day!"
She paused, remembered her original purpose, and asked tentatively, "Are we-going to prepare a sacrifice now?"
"You don't actually need to drag me. I can-" Before Dorothea could finish, Vanessa dragged her away again, brooking no argument.
Vanessa dragged Dorothea all the way to the dim basement and, right in front of her, once again used blood seeping from the back of her own hand to draw the Ritual's patterns on the floor.
The commotion naturally drew Allen over, while several orphans peered through the trapdoor-they had just been chased out of the basement.
"Looks like she's getting ready to make another sacrifice. We need to keep a close eye on her-" Dorothea told Allen beside her.
The previous sacrifices had all carried some risk. Both Vanessa's bizarre appetite and Allen's ability to hurt people from a distance had caused trouble, so Dorothea intended to be more cautious this time.
She and Allen worked together to bring over a heavy wooden table and placed it in a corner of the