The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 264: Goodbye

Demon Veela... was that what I had just called her?

While her thoughts raced, Sonya’s body moved on its own. She followed the white-haired girl as they sprinted across the open field.

Despite being caught off guard and dragged into the strange dimension, the village girl quickly composed herself. She knew right away this had to be the Watcher’s doing.

She had warned him countless times to give a heads-up before stirring up trouble. Yet the Watcher, much like Sonya herself, never failed to disappoint when it mattered.

The Scarlet Swordswoman remained calm. She knew the Watcher would not harm her and that this sudden encounter would work to her advantage.

Still, there was one problem. She had been about to face Tida in a battle when she was dragged into this place. Now, unease settled in as she wondered what might happen to her body in reality.

If it froze, if she stopped moving, Professor Trosan would halt the match immediately to protect her. More likely, he would declare her defeated on the spot. There was no way he would let the match continue as if nothing had happened, nor make everyone wait for her to wake. Trosan was not that shameless.

Take the Virtual World, for instance. Dying there alone could place a heavy strain on the body. That much was true. But if someone tried to use that as an excuse to delay a match, it would only invite ridicule.

Why should the match wait for a problem of your own making? The world did not revolve around any single person.

Managing one’s condition was a crucial part of being a sorcerer. Entering the Virtual World before an important match was like taking laxatives before boarding a long-distance bus. You would have to bear the consequences yourself.

The real issue was that this was Sonya’s first time representing her university, and it happened to be for the chief battle. To falter now, right before it started... she could already see the harsh comments pouring onto the university forum when she got back.

Her heart skipped a beat. Watcher, oh Watcher, why now? You knew I had an important match tonight...

If I lost the chief battle this way, without so much as a fight, the university would be so disappointed in me. It might even ruin my chances of taking part in this year’s intercollegiate league. And if I couldn’t join the league... my evenings would be free. Free to keep exploring the Virtual World. Could he really...?

It took only a small seed for suspicion to take root, and once planted, it could grow wildly. Sonya could not be blamed for such dark thoughts. Had her heart not held its careful, wary nature, the city of Cailleach would have devoured her whole last year, leaving not even her bones behind. The label of a poor but beautiful college girl could inspire kindness in the good-hearted, but it could just as easily provoke malice in the wicked.

When one’s interests were at stake, the first thought should never be "they did not mean it," but that "they are doing it deliberately." With that mindset, Sonya had survived her first year without suffering any losses. She had never given up a scholarship, and she had pushed aside every competitor for financial aid.

At the time, that was all she had. If she lost even that, she would have nothing left to rely on but herself.

Over the past month, she had almost abandoned this calculating way of thinking. She hated this version of herself, the one that was always suspicious, always calculating, and always on guard. After all, how could someone surrounded by negativity ever be happy? Who would willingly see everyone around them as enemies? Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by kind, gentle people?

The Watcher’s arrival had completely changed Sonya’s social circle. She had gained better friends and, more importantly, the confidence to stand among them. That was what mattered most. She could now interact freely with people like Louisa and Leona, largely because she no longer feared being taken advantage of or betrayed.

She could afford the cost of betrayal from friends. Having experienced loss, she no longer feared it. But betrayal from the Watcher was another matter entirely.

If... if the Watcher really is trying to control my life...

Just then, Demon Veela let out a soft, amused chuckle. "Heh, to think we’d meet so soon..."

Sonya’s eyes fell on a shallow pool that had appeared on the plain. Sitting cross-legged upon it was a beastman, clutching two axes. He had large ears, and his body was clad in finely crafted steel armor. He had lowered his head, appearing lost in thought.

Once again, Sonya spoke without meaning to. "Attack?"

"No need," Demon Veela replied. "We’re in the Shadow Evil Dragon’s Evernight Kingdom. Every creature here is its kin. The moment we strike, it will be like knocking on the door and announcing our presence to it."

Demon Veela glanced at her. "Still, I wouldn’t mind if you insist on fighting your way through, so long as you don’t interfere with my master’s task. Otherwise, follow my lead."

With a wave of her hand, their bodies slowly turned transparent. Shrouded in the light mist, they were almost impossible to see.

Demon Veela added, "Sword Demon, I'm warning you. Do not slow me down."

Sonya felt herself emit a dismissive snort, showing no interest in arguing with Demon Veela. "Hmph."

At that moment, Sonya finally remembered where she was. This was the Evernight Abyss of the Evernight Kingdom.

There was more than one type of Abyss. Some appeared as waterways in river regions, some as caverns beneath cities, and others as dungeons that mirrored surface architecture. Each layer of the Abyss was different. The first layer could be a waterway, while the second might become a swamp. The monsters within would change to match the environment.

The Evernight Abyss was known as the abyss closest to hell itself. It appeared only in the deepest layers, and Sonya had known of it mostly through films and dramas. As the abyss nearest to hell, the Evernight Kingdom was considered the path souls took to return from hell. It was filled primarily with undead creatures, exactly as people imagined the underworld to be.

All knowledge the Starry Kingdom possessed about the Evernight Abyss came from the records of legendary sorcerers. Only they could descend into the deep layers and step into the Evernight Kingdom. Sonya knew little beyond that. She had never planned to explore the Abyss herself, and most of what she knew came from films starring Daidaros, such as Alice of the Evernight Kingdom and I Don’t Believe True Hearts Are Always Betrayed.

If both Sonya and Demon Veela could traverse the Evernight Kingdom, that would mean they had already broken through several layers of the Abyss. In other words, she herself had become a legendary sorcerer.

Still, is my name really Sword Demon? That does not exactly sound like a hero, does it?

Sonya quickly took in her surroundings. By now, she had followed Demon Veela through several monster zones. Most of the creatures crouched alone in shallow pools, standing like gravestones. They resembled sorcerers of various races, but violet flowers had bloomed from their eyes, mouths, and ears, giving them a disturbing, unnatural appearance.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. They had moved from the vast plain where they had originally been to a grand palace rising in the distance. Demon Veela’s voice carried a trace of delight. "Here it is."

Sonya realized at once that she had been pulled into a memory and that she was merely inhabiting the body within it. The sudden transition had skipped over the dull parts of their journey. Only memories could be altered like this. Why does the Watcher want me to see this?

Sonya's pulse quickened as she followed Demon Veela into the palace. Then, almost instinctively, she felt the urge to flee.

"Looks like we’re lucky," Demon Veela said with a soft laugh. "The Shadow Evil Dragon is asleep."

The palace was enormous. Nearly all of its space seemed built to house a single black dragon. Its scales shone like onyx, and purple orbs were embedded in its wings. Curled atop a soft cushion, it was fierce even in slumber.

Violet flowers grew throughout the palace, some even on the dragon itself. Instead of softening the scene, they made it more sinister, as if the dragon and the flowers were devouring one another.

By all rights, Sonya shouldn’t have been afraid. She had slain many dragons before. The heads of the Fish-Slaying Dragons she had killed were enough to form a small hill.

Unlike those dragons, however, this one was colossal. A rough glance suggested it stood dozens of meters tall, and it could engulf her completely with just one of its claws. Its heartbeat echoed through the palace like rolling thunder.

Never had she seen a creature so massive. The sheer scale triggered instinctive fear. At this size, all her spells felt like childish tricks. One step from the dragon, and she could be crushed like an insect. An insect trained in swordsmanship was still just an insect.

Is this the Shadow Evil Dragon? Can it even be measured by normal levels? Is it Perfect... or Ultimate-level?

Yet she found herself already gripping her sword, as if eager to disturb the dragon’s sleep. The Bewitching Demon reached out and stopped her. "I told you, we’re not here to fight. You’re my backup, in case I fail... just watch."

The sweet-looking girl skipped forward, hopping lightly until she reached the dragon. She even jumped onto its snout and walked along it to the top of its head.

Watching from the side, Sonya’s heart pounded wildly. She finally understood how a mouse must feel trying to hang a bell on a cat.

Yet the dragon did not stir. Instead, it seemed to sleep even more deeply. Sonya realized Demon Veela had been casting some kind of Miracle all along, suppressing the dragon’s awareness to the lowest possible point, making it completely ignore her presence.

Reaching the top of its head, Demon Veela thrust her hand into the dragon’s forehead and pulled outward, prying open the dragon’s eye.

The dragon’s massive dark-purple pupil gaped wide, fully exposed. Sonya’s body went numb with tension.

"Master was right. It’s fully matured..." Demon Veela hummed softly, pouring a strange liquid into the eye. A sense of dread filled Sonya, but this was only a memory, so she could not intervene.

"Hey!"

Following a sharp cry, Demon Veela plunged both hands into the dragon’s eye and ripped it free. The sound of the eyeball detaching from its nerves was as crisp as uncorking a bottle of wine.

Pain instantly awakened the monster. "ROAR—!"

Its roar formed a shockwave that sent Sonya reeling, as though she'd been struck by a Wind Class Miracle. The thunderous sound echoed across the Evernight Kingdom, ringing in her ears.

Demon Veela leapt lightly from the dragon, placing the violet eye into a transparent container to keep it alive before storing it in her spatial equipment.

"Alright, my task is done. Now it’s your turn."

"What do you mean?"

"It means... goodbye, wretch."