Sorcerer’s Handbook

Swordflower College, Training Hall

When Sonya stopped, time seemed to freeze in the entire training hall.

The apprentices looked at this genius swordswoman in astonishment, glancing down at the time on their bracelets to confirm it was only 9pm.

She had only been training for an hour, so why did she stop?

Although she had only been training in the hall for two weeks so far, Queen Therave had undoubtedly become the most dazzling sight in the eyes of the sword apprentices – the unshakable two hours of evening training, with no breaks, full concentration, perfect form. Just watching her train dripping with sweat was a visual treat.

Not to mention Queen Therave’s profound swordsmanship skills. Many apprentices would sneak peeks during their free time, suddenly gaining insights and deepening their understanding of swordsmanship, increasing their slashing ring count. It was eye candy and knowledge rolled into one.

Strangely, Swordflower College had no shortage of sword geniuses, from Leone and Lorein before, to Felix now, but their training did not attract the apprentices’ gazes.

Firstly, their training times were irregular. Secondly, they took breaks during training. And thirdly…though there was no way to articulate it, everyone just felt Sonya’s swordsmanship was a cut above the rest.

So the training hall had been packed every night recently. When Sonya entered, the apprentices barely dared to breathe, greeting the queen’s arrival with admiring eyes.

Yet tonight the queen had changed her training routine for the first time?

What could make someone so obsessed with swordsmanship alter her unchanging daily training?

Indeed, it wasn’t just the students – in everyone’s eyes, even the professors’, Sonya Therave was a swordsmanship genius born for the blade, gifted with exceptional talent and a passion for swordsmanship. Even after achieving great success (defeating Felix, turning the tables on Leone, unleashing the Silver Wings), she did not forget her original intention, persisting in intense nightly training. If that wasn’t called ‘love’?

These youths in the prime of their lives naturally jumped to the same thought: Could the queen be in love!?

As the apprentices focused their indignant gazes on Felix, almost igniting him, Felix himself also felt quite helpless – he was equally curious why Sonya had stopped.

In fact, Sonya herself was the most confused.

She had long grown accustomed to the two-hour training, obediently starting on her own when time was up, without needing the Observer to force her.

That familiar glass bottle filled with unknown medicine had appeared on her desk this morning. After drinking it, she’d been bursting with energy all day, not feeling tired even during intense swordsmanship training.

Moreover, the training was quite enjoyable. Every swing of the blade, every slash, gave Sonya a hint of indescribable pleasure.

As this pleasure accumulated bit by bit, it turned into an inexplicable, aberrant craving. Only by slaying cognitive beings in the virtual world, feeding their bodies to the sword’s edge, could she slightly appease this hunger.

Sonya didn’t think too much of it. She figured it was a side effect of the medicine the Observer made her drink. After all, this craving did have some enhancement effect during hunts, improving her damage output. So the Observer was clearly the prime suspect.contemporary romance

Surely she herself couldn’t be a bloodthirsty maniac craving battle!

Although Sonya no longer resisted training, she couldn’t complete it by willpower alone. Probably after half an hour, she couldn’t maintain focus. The rest relied on the Observer’s mysterious power to make her train automatically.

Thus, when she suddenly stopped after an hour, Sonya immediately realized what had happened – the Observer’s power forcing her to train had vanished.

What was going on?

Could the Observer suddenly have grown a conscience?

No, unlikely. Then did the Observer die?

Although speculating wildly, Sonya wasn’t too worried.

The recent Fate Q&A, several questions showed the virtual world held the Observer in high regard, so at least he couldn’t have suddenly dropped dead in prison.

Speaking of which…what should I do next?

Sonya blankly looked at the wooden sword in her hand, trying to recall her previous nightly activities.

Though it was just half a month ago of peaceful life, it felt to her like the distant past.

‘Nothing else planned anyway, why not keep training swordsmanship? Practicing is quite fun…’

Sonya was frightened by the thought that popped into her head – Heavens! Given the chance to rest, yet she still wanted to practice swordsmanship?

No, can’t train, can’t do what the Observer wants! If he knows I’m so obedient, he’ll only increase the training intensity. Even just to oppose the Observer, I can’t train!

It’s too scary, I almost really became the “swordswoman” the Observer spoke of.

I want to be a songstress, a shadow mistress, but I absolutely don’t want to be some swordswoman!

First, get out of the training hall. Even just going back to lie in bed watching Dahlia’s latest shadow play is better…

Just then, cries of surprise sounded from the training hall entrance. Sonya looked over and saw a flash of brilliant orange hair – it was the “Orange Dancer” Leone!

“Sonya, training’s over? Got time to grab a drink with me?”

Although they’d fought before, Sonya had both saved face and gained benefits, and Leone had apologized afterwards.

She’d heard Professor Trotzam had taken on two new disciples, plus she was close with Lorein, and caught wind Lorein wanted to make trouble for Felix, so she took the chance to test the caliber of the new first-years.

Ultimately it was just a petty dispute between students. The other side had actively apologized and given gifts, so Sonya wouldn’t insist on feuding with a promising, future sword saint over this. Plus Leone was a very straightforward, traditional female swordsmaster – simply put, easy to take advantage of.

Such high-quality, renewable social connections, Sonya naturally wouldn’t pass up. A few exchanges rapidly warmed up their relationship. Still, seeing Leone take the initiative to find her, she was quite surprised: “Senior Sister, you came looking for me specially?”

“Yup, just got back not long ago, still excited and wanting to grab a drink. Happened to pass the training hall, so dropped by to see if you were here.” Leone grinned, then turned to Ingritt beside her: “Ingritt, want to join? My treat!”

As Sonya’s roommate who trained with her unfailingly every night, Leone had also seen Ingritt a couple times and thought quite highly of this diligent female apprentice.

Ingritt shook her head: “I don’t drink, and tonight’s training isn’t over yet.”

“Thought so.”

Leone looked towards Felix watching them and smiled: “Girls’ night out, no boys allowed, Felix.”

“I don’t like drinking either.” Felix said lightly: “Rather, a swordmaster actually liking alcohol is what’s hard to understand.”

“That’s because you’re still students. Once you step into the Abyss, experience battles, you’ll understand even the sharpest blade needs alcohol to maintain it well. Let’s go, Sonya!”

Seeing Leone and Sonya leave, the sword apprentices universally breathed sighs of relief – great, turned out she was just going drinking with the Orange Dancer. Our Queen Therave remains a pure, untainted maiden.

“Your dorm?”

“I’d love to, but my roommate probably wouldn’t like it.” Leone shrugged. “Let’s go to the Secret Garden.”

The Secret Garden was Swordflower College’s only bar. Sonya had gone before, but the drinks were expensive. As someone who had to count every penny, after going once she’d generously told others for future invites, “I’m very poor, so I won’t go.” Even if treated, she wouldn’t attend. After a few times, they changed the gathering spot to a more affordable tea house.

The “poor female student” label, when useful, had to be utilized.

But now things were different, she had money. Even if treated by Senior Sister this time, Sonya could find a chance to return the favor. She had no hesitation accepting the invitation.

The biggest difference between wealth and poverty was that wealth allowed openly accepting others’ goodwill.

The Secret Garden had a faint lavender fragrance. There wasn’t a single lamp inside, the ceiling completely open to bring in starlight through mirrored designs, illuminating every corner brightly yet mystically dim.

Soothing, melodious music drifted gently through the bar. A three-person band played on stage, likely music students working part-time for pocket change during their free time. Students and couples sat in circles chatting and sipping, the atmosphere quite nice, putting Sonya at ease as well.

“One screwdriver, one summer day.” Leone ordered very smoothly, bringing Sonya to a small booth and dropping the curtains to block outside sights.

“Senior Sister comes often?”

“Every time I return from the Abyss, to numb myself with alcohol, how could I bear that kind of stress?”

“Oh~ I thought Senior Sister was the extremely, extremely tough type.”

“Even the toughest need to find suitable ways to decompress. Drinking like me is already quite normal. I have a teammate who likes streaking in the streets after every mission, you must have heard that urban legend right?”

“Ah, so that city rumor was true, how scary~”

“Let me tell you, don’t spread this, but actually…”

Listening to Leone recount all kinds of amusing Abyss adventures, Sonya also couldn’t help getting excited.

She also shared her recent virtual world experiences, and even omitting the Observer’s hacks, just the cognitive beings she had hunted and sorcerer legacies she had witnessed kept Leone engrossed. Leone would occasionally chime in with her own experiences battling cognitive beings, the combat insights of a fellow swordmaster very valuable. Sonya learned a lot.

[Sonya gained some swordmanship experience]

Chatting gossip, chatting the Abyss, chatting the virtual world, their cups emptied unknowingly. Sonya’s face was flushed as she tipsily asked, “Senior Sister, did you participate in some special activity a couple days ago?”

The words were barely out when she regained her senses and hurriedly apologized, “Sorry, that was tactless of me.”

Casually discussing the virtual world was fine, but events requiring confidentiality contracts, how could she ask about it casually? To put it severely, Sonya was testing the Orange Dancer, tempting Leone into making a mistake.

Leone smiled and shook her head to indicate it was nothing, but she thought for a bit and said, “Although I can’t give details…that event was actually a game organized by the Church.”

“A game?”

“Mmhm, have you played the roleplaying games on the bracelet before? Similar to those.”

The Miracle bracelet had many functions. Ordinary people could not only connect to the Curtain to communicate with those thousands of miles away, sorcerers could also leverage the bracelet’s computing power to create all kinds of Curtain games, allowing ordinary people to enjoy entertainment provided by sorcerers too.

As a result, Illusion sorcerers able to develop bracelet functions also rose with the tide. Sonya had also considered choosing Illusion, but being unfamiliar with Curtain games, she ultimately picked Water in the end.

Sonya rarely dabbled in Curtain games, and it wasn’t that she disliked them – she just didn’t have the money.

A poor country bumpkin like her only deserved to grind away at textbooks, not enjoy high-end entertainment. Her spiritual life was fully satisfied by watching shows.

Hearing Sonya shyly admit she hadn’t played any, Leone was a bit surprised. She explained with a smile, “I was placed in a completely virtual illusion, full of monsters for us to kill. The more monsters killed, the higher the score, and the richer the rewards from the Church…the entire game lasted a full two days two nights, it was exhausting.”

“Sounds quite interesting.” Sonya’s interest was piqued. “Were the enemies strong?”

“No, not strong, some very weak, even unable to flee. Only occasionally were there sorcerer-level monsters chasing me…they would even cry and beg for mercy…”

Leone’s voice grew softer, her expression more and more blank. Sonya casually responded, “Sounds pretty relaxing, slaughtering some weak enemies…Senior Sister? What’s wrong?”

Leone snapped out of it: “Nothing, maybe just a little tipsy.”

“You were talking about the game monsters just now right?”

“Of course, what else would I be talking about? Waiter, another Claire cocktail here!”

Parting with Senior Sister, Sonya ambled lazily towards the Meditation Tower.

Ah, it had been so long since she’d had such an enjoyable night.

First was pleasant sword training, then drinking and chatting with a friend. Next, as long as she could test out the new miracles she’d researched in the virtual world, nicely slaughter a few cognitive beings, tear them into shreds with her blade, make their blood bloom like flowers, it would be a perfect day…

“Huh?”

Sonya lifted her head. Without realizing it, the white spire had vanished, the swirling virtual chaotic flow suspended in midair also gone. The radiance of the stars poured down on the college campus like rain.

The white spire’s disappearance meant campus lockdown was lifted. Classes resumed tomorrow…

Sonya sat in the meditation room, tipsily summoning her spirit, finding the Door of Truth, sinking into the virtual world through her consciousness connection.

Opening her eyes to look at the Observer, Sonya foolishly smiled, “Let me tell you, tonight I…”

“This is my last night accompanying you to explore the virtual world.”

Sonya instantly sobered up.

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