Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
"Sigh."
Sonia exhaled a frosty breath as sharp as a sword, halting her tired hands to watch the armor target slowly mend the large hole she had punctured. The other swordsmanship apprentices in the training hall curiously watched the red-haired Sword Girl. It was their first time seeing her train in the afternoon—though the thought of the evening's social gathering filled them with admiration.
She was training early because of the evening event. Truly worthy of our Sword Girl!
"Sonia!" Adair rushed in, calling out, "Lois and the others are waiting for you. Aren't you leaving yet?"
"Just a few more minutes." Sonia leveled her practice wooden sword, assuming a thrusting stance. "Wait for me."
Adair was anxious, but she had no choice but to wait patiently, squatting and rubbing her calves—she had run all the way from the dormitory, and even that short distance had left her exhausted.
She watched Sonia repeatedly practice thrusts, bored. Today, Sonia had tied her beautiful red hair into a bun for convenience, revealing her proud and smooth neck. Beads of sweat traced her forehead, rolled over her nose, streamed down her neck, and disappeared into her dark vest training uniform.
With each thrust Sonia made, the vest emitted a heavy swaying sound—she had added weights to her hands, legs, and torso.
"It looks so tiring." Adair propped her chin with her hands, sighing. "Do you find training enjoyable, Sonia?"
"Of course not." Sonia exhaled another white breath during a break, smiling. "Even Ingurite wouldn't find training fun. Monotonous repetition is against human nature. If it were pleasurable, the training hall would be packed every day."
"Isn't that the case?" Adair was surprised. "Everyone says you must love swordsmanship training, that's why you persist and come to the training hall every day. In stories, isn't it said that a faction's genius often finds joy in their practice, while those without talent only reap frustration…"
"Maybe there are such people," Sonia thrust sharply, the wooden sword piercing the armor target, leaving no cracks except for the sword mark. "But I'm not one of them."
"Swordsmanship training, for me, is just, very, boring!"
"If it weren't for being forced, I definitely wouldn't, ever, practice swordsmanship in my life!"
Adair curiously asked, "Who's forcing you?"
She waited a while, but Sonia didn't answer, just fiercely stabbing the armor target as if it had wronged her.
Adair asked again, "Although you don't want to train, it seems like you quite enjoy swordsmanship, right?"
"I don't like swordsmanship," Sonia stated. "I just like the perks that come with it. Honor, fame, attention, and prospects."
"I love being dazzling and the center of attention. I want to become nobility. I want to stay in Garlean."
"Although I don't like swordsmanship, as long as it can fulfill my wishes, I'll pretend to love it. Adair, by your standards, I'm definitely not a genius."
"But if everyone wishes me to be, then I'll act the part."
"Sigh."
Sonia sheathed her wooden sword and picked up a towel to wipe off sweat. Adair, meanwhile, unscrewed a water bottle from the 'Farm Woman' and took a big gulp before handing it to Sonia. "You're lying, right?"
The 'Farm Woman' was taken aback, took a small sip of water, and looked at the naive and rich local girl.
"Although I don't like studying or sports, I'm not stupid," Adair said, arms crossed. "Whether someone truly enjoys something, even I can tell."
"You carry your sword bag to train every night, to fight Felix, to challenge senior Leonie. I didn't see reluctance, only anticipation. You love this life, constantly honing, advancing, and growing stronger." She glanced at the weights on Sonia. "If you really didn't like it, you wouldn't make it harder for yourself. It's like how I seek out plot analyses and fanfiction after watching a drama because of the craving born from deep love."
"Also, I just realized when I was watching you train up close."
Adair spoke earnestly, "You holding the sword, sweating, swinging it, you're super incredibly beautiful, just a little less than me."
"Being beautiful is definitely right, so you must be a swordsmanship genius, Sonia."
Sonia suddenly felt like she couldn't keep up with Adair's train of thought. "Because I look beautiful with a sword, I should become a Swordsman?"
"What else?" Adair retorted. "Beauty is the only reason for existence. Are you going to let down the favor of the stars?"
"Indeed." Sonia couldn't help but nod. "Makes sense. Is that a famous quote?"
"From 'How Pitiful I Must Be to Have My Heart Stolen by You,' episode 17."
"A drama… I don't watch anything that Daidalos isn't in."
"Then you've missed many classic masterpieces." Adair spoke with authority. "Having witnessed so many joys and sorrows, I can see through the vanity of words and the deceit of gazes."
Do the joys and sorrows in dramas even count…
"Like you, Sonia, you clearly love swordsmanship, but you keep dragging in other topics, using so many excuses to prove you only practice swordsmanship for profit, as if admitting you like it would make you lose a competition."
Sonia was taken aback.
"And it's the same with music and performance classes." Adair seemed thirsty from talking too much, smacking her lips and snatching the water bottle from Sonia's hands. "You say you want to become a film or music star because it pays well. It sounds right, but there are so many lucrative careers, why specifically a film or music star?"
"You always come up with many complex reasons, but the motives for many things should be quite simple."
Adair mused, "I've watched so many dramas, and my biggest takeaway is that many seemingly perfect plans are always twisted by someone's impulsive motives. This world is full of unreasonable impulses."
Sonia: "…Have you ever thought that maybe the scriptwriter just got lazy and went for a wild twist?"
"That makes sense." Adair pointed to her vibrating bracelet. "Are you done resting? Let's go, look, Lois is hurrying us again."
The two quickly returned to the dormitory to find a bunch of female students bustling inside, with various clothes and accessories strewn across the table.
Lois couldn't help but pinch her nose at the sight of Sonia reeking of sweat: "Go take a shower! Honestly, you suddenly ask us to prepare your battle attire, but then you go off to train alone, acting as if you're the Sword Flower and everyone should revolve around you. Not to mention, you're not even the Sword Flower yet!"
Sonia apologized, "I'm sorry."
"Go shower," Lois waved her hand. "You stink to death. I'll let you use my shower gel and shampoo this time, otherwise, you might just knock me out later."
Once Sonia entered the bathroom, Lois tapped on her bracelet: "Is Borislav senior not here yet? Is there anyone who can replace her?"
"It's rare to find someone in the Wind Arts who specializes in enchanting fragrances," another girl complained. "Most of us focus on meteorology. Borislav only studied enchanting fragrances because she occasionally obtained the 'Fragrant Wind' Sorcery Spirit from the Virtual Realm… Real enchanting fragrance Sorcerers are usually employed by perfume merchants, and without becoming their apprentice, it's impossible to access their centuries-old fragrance formulas."
"Even without Borislav, it shouldn't be a problem," Adair said. "And during the fight, no one will pay attention to Sonia's scent—"
"Don't forget, Sorcery Spirits that enhance the senses are everywhere," Lois interrupted. "A perfect performance can't have any flaws… Oh!"
She pulled out a star-diamond encrusted glass bottle from the back of her cabinet.
Adair was shocked at the sight: "Isn't that 'Tears of a Shooting Star'? Lois, you've been hiding such treasures and not sharing with your besties!"
"If I shared it with you, you'd use it all up in no time," Lois said, looking at the perfume bottle with a conflicted expression. The other girls gathered around, pleading for a chance to sample the fragrance or to book a one-time use.
Ingurite looked puzzled, "Is that perfume expensive?"
"It's not about the price; it's a limited edition that money can't buy," Adair explained. "It's a special blend by an enchanting fragrance Sorcerer, containing the power of miracles. You see how enchanting our usual perfumes are, but those are just mass-produced by enchanting fragrance Sorcerers, with only a hint of miraculous power, nothing compared to 'Tears of a Shooting Star.'"
"So this perfume is stronger?"
"No, no, no, the focus of enchanting fragrance isn't the 'fragrance' but the 'enchantment.' It's said that ladies who wear this perfume can become the sole focus of a crowd with just a hint of their body scent, even causing people to release happy hormones and develop a fondness for the wearer." Adair's face was full of longing. "If I could wear this perfume at the school's evening party, I'd definitely shine brighter than the stars."
"But such miraculous perfumes are never sold due to the massive consumption of Sorcery Spirits; they're only given as gifts. Looks like Lois's family has some strong connections…"
At that moment, Sonia came out of the shower, and Lois immediately said, "Alright, we have 95 minutes until six o'clock. In these 95 minutes, we must turn Sonia into a work of art!"
The Farm Women hadn't even reacted before they were pulled over to raise their arms, their clothes swiftly removed by the girls—even their underwear wasn't spared—then they were dressed in new undergarments, followed by a shirt, leggings, then breeches, a jacket, gloves, boots, accessories, and a skirt…
Even Sonia was surprised, "Lois, I only asked you to find me a suitable battle attire, was there really a need for such a grand affair with so many people?"
"What do you think a real battle attire is? A nightgown you can just slip on?" Lois said irritably. "And if you really wanted to wear a battle attire, you should've told me days in advance. You only told me this afternoon, giving me just a few hours. It's more ridiculous than rushing a homework assignment."
"The dazzling battle attires you see on the screens all require several people to put on, even needing Sorcery Spirits for tailoring—these seniors I've asked as a favor, you should thank them later."
"No need," one senior laughed. "Serving the new Sword Flower is our honor. If you really want to thank us, Lois, you thank us—that's enough. I have an important date next week, let me borrow 'Tears of a Shooting Star' for it."
"I'm meeting my fiancé in a few days!"
"I have an important dinner to attend!"
Sonia smiled, "Thank you for your generous help, seniors. Lois, I didn't mean to trouble you, but I only found out this morning that I was responsible for the chief battle at the social gathering. If I didn't ask the professor, he wouldn't have told me, so…"
"Professor Teluozan really…"
Lois muttered under her breath while pressing Sonia into a chair, "Are you confident you won't hurt your face? Blood mixed with makeup looks terrible… Or maybe just trim your eyebrows?"
Sonia summoned a Sorcery Spirit, "I have the 'Steady Sun' Sorcery Spirit, help me do a makeup that's most suitable for the spotlight."
Lois's expression softened slightly, "You even bought the 'Steady Sun' Sorcery Spirit, at least you're somewhat prepared."
She took out a headband and tied up the Farm Woman's red hair, examining her eyes closely, "Your eyes seem a bit dry… Adair, bring me my eye wash."