The Sorcerer's Handbook

Through thorns leveled, through curtains of gold unfurled.

The sports car sped freely across the Continent of Time. Ashe watched the Virtual World map as new tiles revealed themselves one after another. Whenever the road ahead showed combat nodes like Worth a Visit or Time for a Thorough Purge, he steered clear without hesitation, keeping the car firmly on routes labeled A Waste of Effort.

As of tonight, Ashe couldn’t be bothered with fighting. The only times he engaged were when he ran into easy targets like sorcerer projections, which he would reluctantly run down.

Tonight, there were only the two of them. It was not a night for battle. Even if they did fight, it would drain too much soul energy; it was better to expand their exploration and see if they could encounter any special Virtual World structures.

Besides... neither of them was in the mood to fight.

The atmosphere within the car remained silent. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but something stranger, like arriving hours late to a meeting only to find the other person still waiting in the exact same spot.

Alright... maybe it was a little awkward. But it was the kind of awkwardness that didn’t feel uncomfortable. Instead, it carried a quiet, unspoken warmth.

After a long pause, Ashe finally muttered, ”Little trumpet.”

”Huh?” Sonya blinked, unsure if she had heard him correctly. ”What did you say?”

”I said you’re a little trumpet.”

After countless battles on the university forums, Sonya had refined her approach to arguments. When someone insulted her, she never denied it. Instead, she’d strike back. To her, there were three levels to a comeback. The lowest was returning insult for insult, the middle was a tailored response, and as for the highest... if you could strike right then and there, don’t bother talking.

Sonya reached out and grabbed Ashe’s ear. ”Oh? You’ve got the nerve to insult me now. At this rate, who knows what you’ll dare to do tomorrow?”

”Hey! Hey! I’m driving! A Fish-Slaying Dragon is crossing ahead!”

”Why are you insulting me?”

”If you’re being this stupid, what’s wrong with me saying a few things?”

”How am I stupid?”

Ashe shot back, ”You stayed in the same spot for over two hours. Isn’t that stupid enough? You’re lucky the Continent of Time doesn’t have the Exile Secret Poison. If this were the Sea of Knowledge, you’d have been torn apart by the Knowledge Creatures already!”

Sonya snapped, ”I’m not an idiot! Do you think I’m like you, rushing into the Virtual World without even basic knowledge? Ever since we split up, I’ve been studying the Continent of Time every day. I memorized its rules, its mechanics, and how to deal with all kinds of Knowledge Creatures... I knew it was safe before I waited for you!”

Ashe almost laughed in disbelief. ”How could it be safe? I checked the map just now. The White Ox has already moved far away from you. At most, you have only another hour until the Static Zone catches up to you!”

”I would have left the Virtual World before it arrived!”

”What if you didn’t notice? You said it yourself! The Static Zone arrives without warning. By the time you realize it’s there, it’s already too late to escape!”

”I still could have gotten away.”

”But you didn’t have to take that risk!” Ashe said, frustration rising. ”I never asked you to wait. You could’ve just kept exploring normally. Why put yourself in danger? Tell me I’m wrong for calling you stupid!”

Thud!

This time, Sonya truly got angry. She punched him so hard that Ashe felt his soul energy scattered slightly. He thought, You’re the Swordswoman, not the Fist Woman! Why do you hit so hard!?

Sonya glared at him. ”And you still have the nerve to say that? We agreed to meet at 12:30, and I was the only one who showed up! You didn’t leave me the car, or so much as a note! I used to think that, at the very least, you kept your word. Now I won’t believe a word you say, you liar!”

Ashe protested, ”That was an accident within acceptable error margins! Something came up tonight, and I couldn’t make it. It wasn’t on purpose. By the time things settled down, two hours had already passed. And didn’t I come in right away to find you?”

”Then what happened? Go on, tell me. Let the great Swordswoman enjoy the story.”

”I can’t...”

Annan’s contract sealed his mouth like a gag.

”Will there be a next time?”

Ashe thought about the situation at the Funeral Agency and sighed. ”Most likely. It might even happen for several days in a row. I may not be able to come to the Virtual World at all.”

Sonya narrowed her eyes. ”So what you’re saying is... You won’t explain why, and you’ll just keep skipping out?”

”Yes...”

Ashe answered with a trace of grievance. What has the world come to? I’m the one funding this entire team, yet here I am, being lectured by a subordinate. As the investor, it’s practically my birthright to step back from the grunt work. Besides, I have a perfectly legitimate reason! I just... can’t reveal it yet.

He waited quietly for the Swordswoman’s next round of scolding. But after a long while, she said nothing. He eventually muttered, ”I’ll try to leave the car for you next time... Even if you can’t borrow the map, with the car, you should still be able to maintain a high rate of mana growth...”

Sonya suddenly asked, ”Is it more dangerous than breaking out of prison?”

Ashe fell silent for a moment. ”A little more dangerous.”

”Heh.”

With that faint, ambiguous chuckle, the atmosphere sank back into silence.

Only after they finally ran over the first sorcerer projection of the night did Sonya speak again. ”This is so boring.”

”Then sing something?”

”Don’t you have anything from your life to share?”

Ashe shrugged. ”I do, but I can’t talk about any of it. If I really had to, I could only speak in riddles.”

Sonya’s interest piqued. ”Oh? What kind of riddles?”

After thinking for a moment, Ashe said, ”For example... I’ve become famous. In my daily life, I not only have to deal with harassment from my superior, but there’s also someone I now have to protect with my life.”

”What kind of person?”

”Can’t say.”

”A woman?”

”...”

”A woman under thirty?”

”...”

”Under twenty-two?”

”...”

”Under eighteen!?” Sonya stared at him in shock. ”Watcher, how old are you? Have you no shame—”

”It’s not what you think!” Ashe said helplessly. ”And why aren’t you asking about the harassment? Do you not care about that at all?”

”Because that part is definitely not what you’re making it sound like,” Sonya replied with total certainty.

Ashe sighed. ”Anyway, I really do want to complain to you about everything that’s been happening lately, but I can’t. Once all this is over, I’ll tell you everything properly.”

”Then I’ll look forward to it.”

Sonya gazed at the Ascending Golden Rain outside, then suddenly said, ”A couple of days ago, Windgaze Crane sent someone to find me. You can think of Windgaze Crane as a guild that specializes in producing songs for Divas. They want to compose a battle song tailored specifically for me. If the timing works out, it might even become the theme song for this year’s intercollegiate league!

”And Senior Sylvia, you probably don’t remember her, recommended me for a role in a Prime Nine drama. It’s not the female lead, and it’s even a villain role, but the screen time is basically on par with the second female lead!”

Ashe said, ”Looks like your moment has finally come. If you play it well, a villain can leave just as strong an impression as the protagonist.”

”I think so too,” Sonya nodded, a cold smile forming. ”Hmph. Those nobles don’t have good intentions. Now that I’m gaining recognition, they want to use my fame, yet they still look down on my background. They won’t give me a good role, so they shoved me into a villain’s position, hoping I’ll make a fool of myself and leave behind a bad reputation... But it doesn’t matter. When it comes to disappointing my enemies, I never disappoint.”

Ashe had never doubted the Swordswoman’s ability. The rebellious spirit rooted deep within her gave rise to an unyielding confidence, as if nothing in this world could ever force her to bow her head.

Perhaps, in the past, something could have, back when she was still a solitary and fragile figure. But now, Ashe had already filled that void. She would not be weak, nor would she be alone again.

Ashe let out a sudden sigh. ”Feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve been alone like this.”

The village girl lowered her gaze. ”Yeah... With the Witch around, there are things I don’t feel comfortable saying. It’s not that I want to hide anything from her, it’s just... a little embarrassing.”

”Pfft.”

”What are you laughing at?”

Ashe smiled. ”Nothing. I’m not laughing at you. I actually understand how you feel. It’s like a blooming flower. The Witch only sees your beautiful petals, so you want to stay composed in front of her. But I saw you before you bloomed, back when your roots were still buried in the dirt, and things weren’t exactly pretty. You feel more at ease around me because I’ve already seen the mess.”

To put it simply, she fit that common label: ”cold on the outside, a chatterbox once familiar.” Most people were like that. Upon first meeting, everyone maintained a curated image; only after growing close did they slowly reveal their less presentable sides.

Sonya narrowed her eyes. ”So you’re saying I’m just a pretty face?”

Ashe muttered, ”You make it sound like being a pretty girl isn’t valuable at all... But I don’t think you need to be so reserved in front of the Witch. For one, she isn’t the type to look down on you because of your background.”

He paused, glancing at her. ”And second, those mud-stained roots you’re trying to hide... are actually kind of cute.”

The Swordswoman stared at him in silence. Ashe shrugged. ”Just a suggestion. I’m already satisfied with the team’s current dynamic; we don’t have to force more cohesion. If you prefer the way things were when it was just us in the Sea of Knowledge, sitting in that little boat... I can understand that, too.”

”Alright.”

”Huh?”

Sonya rested her chin on her hand. ”Come to think of it, it really isn’t appropriate to keep sharing a girl’s inner thoughts with a smelly man like you. Maybe it’s time I find myself a new best friend.”

”Firstly, I don’t smell. Secondly—”

”You’re not a man?” Sonya shot back instinctively, deploying her forum-honed debating skills.

After a round of ”little trumpet” level bickering, the village girl emerged victorious.

Watching the driver sulk, Sonya suddenly said, ”We’ve already left the Sea of Knowledge.”

”Hmm?”

”So the time for a two-person team is over. Next comes three, four, five... The team will keep growing, and we’ll only get stronger.”

Ashe glanced at her through the rearview mirror. ”Yeah. That’s the plan.”

”I’ll help you. I might be doing it unwillingly, but I’ll do it. As the team grows stronger, our exploration efficiency will increase, and the benefits I gain will grow as well.”

She looked at him. ”And the benefits you gain will grow, too.”

Ashe looked at her in surprise. Sonya, however, turned back to the Ascending Golden Rain outside, a faint light flickering in her eyes. The village girl spoke softly, ”My life is busy enough as it is. I have to sing, act, and compete. If you run into trouble in the real world, don’t come to me for help. I’ll have neither the time to spare nor the ability to save you. But... if you really kneel and beg me, I might help you a little more in the Virtual World.”

Ashe smiled. ”Kneeling is out of the question. Where I come from, that ritual is reserved for praying for miracles. But I’ll reluctantly accept your awkward kindness.”

”Hmph. Looks like I’ve truly become your accomplice now.”

”Then don’t do something as stupid as waiting around in the Virtual World again. You’re dragging down our average IQ.”

”Mind your own business, you little trumpet.”

***

Lys felt her cheek damp. She wiped away the drool and turned over, drifting back to sleep. Through her haze, she saw the faint curve of a smile at the corner of Ashe’s lips.

Lys mumbled to herself, ”Daddy looks so happy... is he having a good dream?”

Secret Princess replied, ”Maybe it’s pre-prison training. He knows he’ll be caught by the Red Hats sooner or later, so he’s trying to stay optimistic...”