The Sorcerer's Handbook

Adele noticed that Sonya had been acting unusually on three separate occasions that day.

The first was when she spent the entire morning sitting in a chair watching the light screen, a faint smile hanging on her face as if she were completely immersed in the beautiful fantasy of a romance drama. She did not skip either the opening theme or the ending theme, which meant her attention clearly wasn’t on the show.

The second was her asking Louisa for fashion advice. Their relationship had certainly improved recently, but that didn’t suddenly make them inseparable best friends. To begin with, Louisa’s personality wasn’t exactly pleasant, not to mention that the two of them had always been fierce competitors for attention. Sonya asking Louisa for help was practically admitting that she was inferior in terms of fashion sense, leaving even Louisa herself utterly stunned.

Surprisingly, Louisa did not act arrogantly or mock her with sarcastic remarks. Instead, she seemed somewhat at a loss. That afternoon, she took Sonya and Adele to Cailleach’s commercial district on a shopping spree, buying Sonya several sets of clothes and even gifting Adele a few new dresses for free.

Sonya had asked the right person this time. She spent a great deal of effort on her general appearance and makeup, but she genuinely knew very little about clothing, essentially wearing the Sword and Roses Academy uniform all year round. Aside from saving money, the uniform itself was designed beautifully, carrying additional attributes like the ”student” look and ”youthful” appeal. Keep in mind that less than two months prior, she had still been a genuinely impoverished university student.

During the first half of the semester, Sonya had once tried wearing casual clothes. Louisa mocked her so thoroughly that those outfits ended up buried at the bottom of her closet. The clothes themselves were cheap, poor-quality knockoffs, yet the bigger problem lay in Sonya’s fashion sense. Her sensitivity toward clothing was about as refined as a marble statue’s, completely exposing her as a country girl who had only just arrived in the big city. Honestly, she looked better just wearing her school uniform.

Throughout the entire second half of the semester, Sonya’s only casual outfit was a black spaghetti-strap dress. Adele had watched countless dramas to tell at a glance that she had copied the look from Didarose’s newest show. Everyone had their own personal style. Even someone like Adele, usually too lazy to dress up, had bought dozens of pieces of clothing before finally finding a style that suited her. As for Louisa, her family ran a battle attire business, giving her a sense of fashion that ranked among the best in all of Sword and Roses. By asking Louisa for help, Sonya had completely bypassed the complicated process of trial and error, graduating straight away.

Charming, sweet, pure, elegant, refined... Adele had secretly taken quite a few photos already, marking a massive victory for the Claw-Stretching Club.

Then came the third occasion. After returning from the city center to the academy, Adele opened the school forum as usual to see if there were any new posts. That’s when she saw someone stirring up another online war with the title: ”The Selby Country Girl is so strong, surely she can defeat Damian and claim the Meteor Calamity, right?”

Just as Adele clicked on the post, ready to enter battle, she saw a shocking reply.

Claw-Stretching Club President: She can’t beat Damian.

”So, based on the abnormalities above...” Adele said in the dining hall, looking across at her two roommates. ”We can basically conclude that our little Sonya has been corrupted.”

”I don’t really understand,” Angelica said, biting her spoon. ”The first two things aside, why is the last one considered abnormal? Isn’t that reply completely normal?”

Adele explained, ”It’s exactly because it’s normal that it’s abnormal. That post starts with ’country girl’ and follows up with ’defeat Damian.’ It’s obviously just someone trying to provoke her, and the replies are full of Sonya’s haters celebrating. That thread was never meant to be a reasonable discussion.

”Against unreasonable posts like this, Sonya usually replies with things like, ’Selby isn’t as impressive as you; you must have raised yourself, right?’ or ’How many mothers did you have to talk like that?’ She deliberately provokes them into swearing, then reports them to get their accounts banned. Inside the Claw-Stretching Club, whether online or offline, Sonya is the strongest fighter. She’s like a hedgehog. Whoever tries to hurt her gets stabbed. Look at her now.”

Adele looked heartbroken. ”She didn’t even try to fight back against such mockery! She actually tried to reason with them! Someone must have touched her soft belly, so she put away all her spikes!”

”Indeed,” Louisa nodded. ”Today’s Sonya is completely different.”

Adele looked around. ”So, who exactly managed to pluck our Rose? Do you have any clues?”

”Her social circle hasn’t changed much recently,” Angelica said. ”I haven’t noticed any particularly close male acquaintances around her.”

Louisa added, ”She returned to the dorm right after yesterday’s match. Then after ten o’clock, she went to the Meditation Tower to enter the Virtual World. It’s impossible that someone kidnapped her during that time.”

Adele nodded hesitantly, her sharp gaze remaining fixed on the two of them.

Louisa immediately realized what she meant. ”You suspect the two of us!?”

Adele corrected. ”Only one of you. Since there’s no one else around Sonya, the culprit can only be one of you two. Speak up. Who made a move on our roommate? Confess now and receive a twenty percent discount on your punishment.”

Louisa twitched the corner of her mouth. ”What exactly are you giving discounts on? You know me. I like handsome and considerate men.”

Angelica shook her head. ”It can’t be me either. I like men stronger than me.”

”Alright,” Adele said calmly. ”Those who have no admiration for Sonya in their hearts, stand up.”

Silence.

”Those who have no affection for Sonya’s appearance, stand up.”

Still silence.

”Those who have no admiration for Sonya’s strength, stand up.”

Utter silence.

Adele slowly backed away. ”You two wouldn’t happen to have teamed up and attacked her from both sides, would you? Can I still change dormitories? I don’t want to wake up one day and discover that I’ve become the cheese between two slices of bread.”

”No such thing!”

”You misunderstood!”

”What are you talking about?”

The argument suddenly cut short. Everyone looked over as the country girl walked up, carrying her tray, and sat down. She smiled warmly. ”Why didn’t you bring me along when you went to eat? I spent quite a while searching for you.”

The three of them exchanged glances before Adele quickly defended herself. ”You just happened to not be there when we left. We thought you had already gone to eat.”

”Oh,” Sonya said, sitting down. ”Then what were you talking about just now?”

”We were discussing that sarcastic post on the forum mocking you,” Adele replied, cautiously testing the waters. ”Sonya, why didn’t you fight back against it?”

Sonya shrugged. ”There was no point. I really can’t beat Damian anyway. Losing to him isn’t anything to be embarrassed about. Besides, my goal for the Meteor Calamity this time was just to secure a top-four spot and fight for second place. I’m already very satisfied.”

Louisa chimed in, ”Then why did you suddenly ask me for fashion advice today?”

”I’ve started receiving quite a few acting offers. In the future, I’ll probably have to leave the academy pretty often. I can’t keep meeting people while wearing my school uniform forever, can I?”

Sonya clasped her hands together gratefully. ”I’ll pay you back for the clothes later. I’ve earned quite a bit of money in the Virtual World recently.”

”No need. I have a discount card. Buying them didn’t cost much.”

”Tsk, why are you two being so awkward?” Angelica suddenly bent the stainless steel spoon in her hand, fixing her gaze on the country girl. ”Sonya, do you have someone you like?”

Well, you can’t get much more direct than that!

Adele and Louisa held their breaths, waiting tensely for Sonya’s reaction. The country girl realistically had three possible responses. The first was that she might admit it directly with a look of disdain, treating it like an incredibly childish question. The second was that she could show a look of longing and answer ambiguously, keeping them guessing. Last but not least, she might deny it coldly, leaving them completely unable to figure out what she was truly thinking.

Regardless of the path she chose, after knowing Sonya for so long, they were bound to spot the cracks in her armor.

”No, I—I don’t.” Sonya stammered.

She instinctively looked away as a deep flush spread from her neck all the way to her ears. Her entire face turned bright red, making her look so adorable that it made people want to take a bite out of her. ”I don’t have anyone I... I like...”

The meal ended in absolute silence.

There was another intercollegiate league match scheduled for tonight, but Sonya was attending with Professor Trosan, so she parted ways with her roommates after lunch.

The moment they got into Louisa’s car, Adele finally lost her composure. She repeatedly punched the leather seat in sheer frustration. Angelica leaned back against her sword case and took deep breaths, yet she still couldn’t suppress the foolish smile spreading across her face. Louisa sat rigidly in the driver’s seat, her entire body stiff, yet she kept twisting around restlessly.

They had learned the truth, but at what cost? Why? Why is Sonya so incredibly adorable when she is in love?!

***

”Are you worried?”

While watching the Constellation Calamity from the audience stands, Sonya glanced at the professor beside her in surprise and shook her head. ”Not really. There’s a good chance I’ll lose in tomorrow’s semifinals anyway, so I might not even get the opportunity to worry.”

Trosan let out a soft sigh. ”I may be your mentor, but let’s be honest here, I haven’t taken that much care of you. I’m a typical academic-type sorcerer, and I only begin studying practical Miracles after reaching the Distant Sky Domain. Back when I was on the Continent of Time, my strength was far inferior to yours. My ultimate techniques are all Sacred Realm-level Miracles. If they were reduced to the Gold level, their power would likely still fall short of your self-created Water Moon series. Thinking about it carefully, I’ve actually benefited greatly because of you.”

Sonya affectionately looped her arm through Trosan’s. ”Professor, the fact that you were willing to accept me as your student was already a huge blessing. You helped me during friendly matches, arranged training opportunities, and spoke up for me at school. I’ve always been incredibly grateful.”

Trosan snorted playfully. ”You really know how to charm people. Keep in mind that a Sword Class sorcerer does not use sweet talk to win people over.”

Despite her words, the slight upward curve of Trosan’s lips showed that she was clearly pleased.

”Actually, Professor, you’re not much older than me. Can I call you Sister Trosan?” Sonya struck while the iron was hot.

Trosan instinctively wanted to refuse, yet meeting Sonya’s bright, sparkling eyes, she found herself agreeing before she even realized it. ”In public, you still have to call me Professor.”

Sonya giggled. ”Mmhmm. Professor Sister!”

”So even if you lose to Damian, don’t lose heart,” Trosan said. ”Once you achieve the Sacred Realm, I’ll have plenty of Miracles ready to help you get your revenge.”

”Mm! Thank you, Professor!”

Trosan turned her attention back to the arena, a slight frown crossing her face. ”How much longer is this going to last?”

”That’s just how the Constellation Calamity works. If the three teams are close in strength, the battle easily devolves into a stalemate. Nobody dares to launch a full-scale attack for fear that the third party will take advantage. They’re all just waiting for someone to make that split-second mistake.”

”What a waste of time,” Trosan checked the time. ”It’s almost eleven now. Sonya, don’t you need to enter the Virtual World?”

”Ah, that’s right!”

Before Sonya could even reply, Trosan swept her up and soared out of the arena. ”I’ll fly you back directly.”

A few minutes later, they arrived back at Sword and Roses University. Trosan set her down gently in front of the Meditation Tower, said her goodbyes, and departed.

Since the Constellation Calamity was still underway, the vast majority of students were glued to the livestream, leaving the area around the Meditation Tower completely deserted.

Sonya stared up at the familiar building. Her heart refused to stop pounding, and a sudden wave of nerves made her want to turn around and run away, as if the tower were an abyss waiting to devour her whole. Ultimately, she forced herself to step inside the meditation room.

She sat down cross-legged and summoned her Wave spirit. Looking at the spirit, which had now grown its second wing, the country girl easily located the Door of Truth within her consciousness.

Do I really have to enter the Virtual World tonight? No. I should ask for leave. I’ll just take today off. I really don’t want to go! Wait... would the Watcher think I’m hiding something? Would he misunderstand? Should I still go in? I don’t dare face him right now! Wuu...

The Claw-Stretching Club President felt as if her thoughts had tangled into an impossible knot. Right at that moment, her bracelet alarm blared, a stark reminder that their agreed time had arrived. Without thinking, Sonya instinctively stepped through the Door of Truth.

By the time she realized what she had done, her consciousness had already materialized on the Continent of Time.

Sonya’s very first reaction was to look down at her clothes. Her eyes instantly lit up. It was the elegant outfit Louisa had helped her choose earlier that day, beautiful, yet not overly seductive. It felt perfectly suited for the atmosphere between them.

Just as Sonya relaxed, she heard the Watcher’s voice cut through the quiet. ”Witch, I have something I need to discuss with the Swordswoman alone. Stay in the carriage and don’t move.”

The Witch replied weakly, ”Okay...”

Sonya no longer had the mental bandwidth to care about the Witch’s situation. She stood dazed as the Watcher pulled her past the curtain of rain, guiding her to a secluded spot well out of the Witch’s line of sight. He turned around, fixing her with a deeply serious gaze.

Huh? Eh? Ah? Is... is it finally happening? I’m not ready for this! I should have worn my decisive battle outfit... and also—

The moment the Watcher placed both hands on her shoulders, Sonya felt her strength instantly evaporate, leaving her so weak she felt she might collapse into his arms if he let go. She lacked the courage even to meet his eyes. Her lips pressed tightly together, and her mind went completely blank.

The usually proactive Sonya had transformed into a girl quietly waiting for someone else to take the lead. She waited in breathless anticipation for the Watcher to make the first move...

”Swordswoman, I might only have five days left at most.”

The Swordswoman snapped her eyes open, fixing Ashe with a look of deep, burning resentment.