vncnus Chapter 3: Curses Cannot Steal Blessings
Chapter 3: Curses Cannot Steal Blessings
The notes state that "no matter how cleverly a curse is used, it cannot steal a blessing."
Brianna asked Aaron, "I don't understand what that means."
Aaron thought about it and realized that it was indeed a difficult point, and not easy to explain.
Ultimately, Aaron decided to use a rigid example to explain to Brianna.
"Imagine there are two people, A and B. A is dying, while B is young and healthy. If you curse B, you will be harassed by A for the rest of his life. What do you think will happen?"
Brianna pondered for a long time with a serious expression before answering, "Then B will be unable to escape A's entanglement for the rest of his life."
"But A is dying."
"Then he will survive because of the power of the curse and will continue to haunt B until B dies, and the two of them will die together."
Aaron shook his head: "Unfortunately, assuming the curse really takes effect, A will still die under normal circumstances, and the curse is forced to stop at this moment."
Brianna asked, puzzled, "Why? The power of curses is incredibly strong!"
"That's right, but it's a negative force, while blessing is a positive force."
Aaron spoke slowly and deliberately.
"If someone were to bless A to live, A would have a chance to survive, because positive energy has such an effect. In the previous example, the wizard attempted to curse B to allow A to live, but such an idea could not be realized. Negative energy can never be converted into positive energy; that is what Riddle meant."
Afterwards, Brianna spent a great deal of effort to fully accept and master this difficult point.
The day was already more than halfway over, and Aaron knew that teaching should not be rushed, lest students forget what they had learned after learning something new.
Therefore, Aaron ended his class early for the day.
But Brianna did not leave the library immediately; instead, she stood by the window and gazed into the distance.
Aaron ignored her and continued working.
The seaside is humid, and Aaron has a lot of work to do every day to prevent the books from getting damp and moldy.
When he finished his work, he found Brianna still standing there, seemingly preoccupied.
However, as darkness fell, walking alone at night was too dangerous for a girl, Aaron cautioned:
"You should go back now."
Brianna remained standing there, as if she hadn't heard anything.
After an unknown amount of time, she asked a question without moving:
"Seventy-three?"
"Um?"
"I have never seen you leave the library."
"Ah, about that," Aaron scratched his head, "There's no need to leave. The town will regularly send me necessities as payment. You know, they often need someone who can read and write to help them with things."
Brianna finally turned to Aaron and asked, "Did you leave?"
This time it was Aaron's turn to look out the window.
"...There were...three times."
"But in the end, he still came back!"
"As you can see."
After that, the two of them silently gazed at the scenery outside the window.
When Brianna arrived, it was springtime; now, the grass on the promontory has all turned yellow and withered.
Then...
"Squeak~"
A sound came, and Brianna went back inside; Aaron then closed the window.
It snowed in the blink of an eye, and then the snow melted away, and tender green grass grew back on the promontory.
During this time, Brianna always completed the assignments Aaron asked her to do very well, and she made rapid progress.
By now, Brianna has at least a basic understanding of everything in "Omiros Riddle's Notebooks," though she will need to study and practice much harder to master it.
Brianna was already able to gather dark curse power in her palm, but Aaron did not allow her to use it.
After all, while curses and similar forms of witchcraft are powerful, they can also backfire if one is not careful.
That day, Aaron discovered Brianna standing in front of the mirror, a sight she hadn't seen in a long time.
She simply stood there, watching quietly.
Aaron was a little worried, so he went over.
Brianna suddenly asked, "Seventy-three, I remember you said this is a lying mirror."
"Hmm," Aaron didn't nod, because there was no need; Brianna wasn't looking at him.
Why describe it this way?
"Because it always lies."
"Haha," Brianna chuckled, as if amused, "How could a mirror lie?"
Aaron smiled, but said nothing.
He was surprised to find that Brianna had grown taller.
Because the two saw each other every day, Aaron hadn't noticed before.
The height difference between Brianna and the mirror was much smaller than he remembered, which is why Aaron noticed it.
Looking back, it had been a long time since Brianna had last stood in front of a mirror.
Brianna suddenly asked, "Seventy-three, aren't you planning to get married?"
Aaron was stunned for a moment upon hearing this; he hadn't expected to be asked such a question so suddenly.
Sensing the silence, Brianna turned her head: "Seventy-three?"
"Oh... well, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for me to get married again. Separation is very painful."
"Again?"
"Yes, I've been married three times."
Brianna was somewhat surprised: "May I ask about their situation?"
"They're all dead. I buried them in the sea... Their favorite thing in life was always standing on the rooftop and gazing at the sea."
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Brianna looked panicked and bowed repeatedly in apology. "I didn't expect it to be like this. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry that they all had an accident."
Aaron gave a calm smile: "You don't need to worry about it, I'm fine. Anyway, it was all a long time ago, I've almost forgotten their faces, and they didn't die in an accident."
Upon hearing this, Brianna looked at Aaron with a complicated expression.
After all, in her eyes, Aaron was only in his early twenties, and in such a short time he had married three wives and forgotten their faces.
It's hard for a woman not to feel disgusted by a man like that.
But this is, after all, a painful matter for Aaron, and even if Brianna has many thoughts, she probably wouldn't be able to blame Aaron for anything.
So she asked another question: "They didn't die in an accident?"
Hearing this, Aaron laughed happily: "Yes! They all died peacefully and happily!"
Brianna's eyelids drooped, and her gaze became even stranger:
"Um... I didn't know you had this kind of fetish."
"A quirk?"
"Hmm? Isn't that right? You like older women."
These words made Aaron burst into laughter, even laughing until tears streamed down his face, but he offered no explanation.
Brianna couldn't understand Aaron's reaction and tilted her head in confusion.
Then she suddenly remembered something else Aaron had said:
"I remember you said you left the library three times?"
Aaron nodded.
"Could it be that all these separations are because of these three wives?"
Aaron nodded in agreement.
"But why did they all come back in the end?"
"Because they know my secret."
"secret?"
Aaron considered it for a moment, but ultimately decided to tell Brianna.
"As long as I'm in the library, I won't grow old."
Brianna paused for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter: "What is this? Are you kidding me? I'm not some easily fooled little girl anymore!"
Aaron laughed, but offered no further explanation.
"If that's true, then your wives all love you very much."
"I know," Aaron said, a calm smile returning to his face, "that's why parting is painful."
The two then looked at each other, their smiles gradually brightening, and their laughter echoed throughout the hall.
After laughing for a while, Brianna asked, "If you fall in love with someone else later, what would you do?"
Aaron began to think, his expression serious.
After a long pause, he replied, "I want to grow old with her."
Brianna seemed a little surprised, but then immediately smiled mischievously:
"However, I won't believe it, starting with the secret. You say it's a mirror reflecting lies, but in my opinion, you're the one who's lying."
Upon hearing this, Aaron bowed to Brianna and said, "Yes, I am indeed a liar, Miss Pierre."
Brianna's face stiffened inexplicably upon hearing this.
As if after a deep internal struggle, Brianna lowered her eyes and said to Aaron:
"I'm sorry, Seventy-Three, I lied to you at first. My real name is Brianna Lorraine."
But Aaron didn't care, just as he had in the beginning.
"I see. Then allow me to introduce myself. Miss Lorraine, my name is..."
Brianna interrupted Aaron: "Seventy-three!"
Aaron shrugged, not pressing the matter further.
Just then, a parrot landed on the parrot stand.
Brianna also listened to the parrot talk with Aaron.
When it mentioned a piece of intelligence, Aaron noticed that Brianna's expression changed.
It was a very complex expression, one that Aaron had never seen before—
Surprise, fear, worry, anger, and even joy.
Aaron immediately realized that the time for parting had come.
Before Brianna left that day, Aaron specifically instructed her:
"Remember our agreement: you must return the books you borrow from here."
Brianna nodded, a hint of reluctance creeping into her expression, but the door still made a sound—
"Squeak~"