Sorcerer’s Handbook

“Who would fancy your affection!”

The witch laughed with a snort, “Really, do you think you’re choosing a concubine? Picky as you are, it’s utterly shameless!”

“You’re the one who started this topic…” Ashe muttered, looking down at Lise, who still hadn’t come to: “You heard her conversation with me just now, didn’t you?”

“Uh-huh.” The witch nodded, then crossed her legs and sat on the bed: “A pitiable yet terrifying child.”

“Pitiable and terrifying?”

“You’ve realized it too, haven’t you?” the witch said calmly: “Her schemes are real, her amnesia is real, but so is her innocence. She deliberately portrays herself as cunning yet obvious to adults, probably as a means of self-preservation, right? Compared to a child with keen intuition or one who isn’t clever enough, someone like her, who can be easily used by others due to her little smarts, is more likely to be favored by adults.”

Ashe recalled Lise’s behavior in the underground hall, where Igor and Harvey had seen through the little girl’s cunning. Could Annan have missed it?

It was precisely because he saw through it that Annan decided to keep Lise.

Had she been a child who only cried or was too clever, Annan might have handed her over to Red Cap, because what Purple Moth needed was an ‘insect’ that could immediately participate in her grand scheme yet was easy to manipulate.

Lise vaguely sensed this, which is why she displayed such a personality, deliberately catering to Annan’s needs.

This child, she might be quite adept at playing her role.

But… why did she, at such a young age, know to wear different masks for different occasions, just like Ashe, who seemed to have been battered by society for years?

“Memory modification?” Ashe said softly: “Did someone warp her memory to turn her into a bug designed to exploit loopholes in the Weaving Festival?”

“To deceive the Divine Master, mere memory modification probably isn’t enough.” The witch narrowed her eyes: “What? Do you sympathize with her? Want to follow her instigation, collude with your comrades, rebel against your boss, and then hand over the results to this little girl?”

Ashe suddenly looked at the witch: “You’re just like her.”

The Witch’s heart skipped a beat as she rapidly sifted through her mind for any slip she might have made, though her face showed no sign of it: “Just as adorable, am I?”

“You think the same as she does, that if I’m willing, if I desire to do so, I can tear up the Contract, obtain the highest hidden score, and claim the final victory,” Ashe said with a smile. “It’s curious how both of you, having just met me today, have such confidence in me. Do I really come across as that ‘if I’m willing to do it, I can definitely achieve it’ sort of shining figure?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” the Witch snorted. “She trusts you simply because she has no one else to use but you.”

“I actually don’t dislike people with goals,” Ashe shrugged. “A journey is only a journey if you have a destination. What I’m doing could only be called wandering.”

“I’m not one to look too far ahead. The future I can see on my tiptoes is what I’ll have for lunch tomorrow. As for something as complicated as deciding on rupture, conspiracy, or betrayal 101 days from now—how could I, 101 days ago, make such a decision? How do you decide where you’ll have lunch 101 days from now?”

“Moreover, I’ve just arrived in this new Kingdom. I’m unfamiliar with its cities, culture, history, institutions, and I don’t really understand the true power of the Gospel, let alone the might of the Omniscient Weaver… Even though I’ve been forced to join an evil organization that’s passionate, ambitious, and seemingly promising, I’m actually finding it hard to be enthused.”

“Only after seeing enough scenery will I know whether I prefer dusk or dawn.”

“That sounds like quite a spiel,” the Witch swayed. “Is there a simpler way to put it?”

“Go with the flow and play it by ear,” winked Ashe. “Maybe by then, I’ll have a new perspective.”

“As for her…” Ashe glanced at Lise, who was still unconscious on the ground. “Even though I don’t know why she insists on relying on me, if it doesn’t harm my interests… or only does a little… after all, she is technically the only team member in my work group right now, so I might as well take care of her.”

In truth, Ashe had a soft heart.

After all, he wasn’t a purely rational creature. Seeing Lise chasing after him, calling him ‘Daddy’, he couldn’t help but be reminded of his nephew back home.

Although my nephew isn’t as cute as Lise, he’s definitely more of a handful and mischievous! Thinking of this, Ashe found himself regretting not having spanked his nephew more when he had the chance; now it was too late.

Since Lise was now bound to him, he figured he might as well see what her plan was before making his own. But for Ashe to be resolute and decisive in dealing with a Human child who could knock herself out by running into a door—that wasn’t something he was capable of at this stage.

The Witch scoffed, “You make it sound so noble, but aren’t you just pushing the decision off onto your future self?”

“It’s not like that,” Ashe responded, lifting Lise up. “I am me, and the future Ashe is the future Ashe. I never make promises lightly to myself, nor do I arbitrarily impose constraints on the future Ashe. All premature decisions either turn into mistakes or meaningless obsessions. Only choices made after careful consideration truly quicken the heart.”

“I wouldn’t want to deprive myself of the pleasure of thinking it over for the next 101 days.”

Ah, that’s the spirit, that’s the feeling.

It’s not madness, not indifference, but a deeper sense of superiority, as if viewing the whole world as a poorly staged drama, waiting arrogantly for Destiny to entertain.

It was precisely because of this that she—favored the Observer.

The Witch squinted her eyes, looking towards the white-haired little girl in Ashe’s arms: “Ah, am I interrupting your colorful nightlife? I’ll be on my way then—”

Ashe quickly stopped her insinuations: “No, no, no, I’m just taking her back to her room so she doesn’t drool all over the floor. You’re welcome to follow and make sure nothing I do would be inappropriate for a children’s channel.”

“Not interested, I’m really leaving,” the Witch said, her enthusiasm waning. “Remember the three principles of communication; from now on, we’ll meet in the Virtual Realm.”

Ashe didn’t insist and left the room with Lise in his arms.

The Witch, however, didn’t leave immediately. She sat cross-legged on the bed, lost in thought.

Until a voice came from behind, tinged with anger:

“Witch, you’ve overstepped your bounds.”

The Witch didn’t deny it and countered with a question: “But aren’t you curious about what the Observer thinks of the current Swordswoman? It has nothing to do with me, but when I hear that she holds a unique position in his heart, I can’t help but feel a bit irritated — especially since I’m so much more beautiful than you!”

Snap!

The Witch was suddenly pushed down onto the bed, with the Swordswoman sitting on top of her, pinning her waist down so she couldn’t get up, and her hands were clasped around the Witch’s wrists, rendering her immobile. Faced with the Swordswoman’s fierce gaze that seemed ready to devour her, the Witch backed down a bit: “What are you doing? If you keep this up, I’ll scream for help.”

The Swordswoman wasn’t playing along and spoke deliberately: “First, he’s not the Observer; he’s Ashe Heath, and she’s not the Swordswoman; she’s Sonya Therave. Second, you really crossed the line.”

“Observing and even pushing their emotional changes is a taboo of sentiment. If I tell everyone about this, you can forget about having the right to observe ever again.”

“Whimper…” The Witch whimpered pitifully: “I didn’t really say anything though…”

“Why did you bring up the Swordswoman in front of him?” the Swordswoman demanded. “You’re causing their information to not match up!”

“But I really don’t know that slightly scheming yet adorable Swordswoman who says one thing and means another, yet has a kind heart and often admires herself in the mirror,” the Witch said with a twinkle in her eye. “I’m actually not too fond of lying.”

The Swordswoman replied coldly: “Out of all the lies you’ve told, that must be the poorest one.”

Suddenly, the Witch changed tack: “But why so tense? If it were the Observer catching me, I’d accept it, as he’s the overall in charge. But you joined this plan unwillingly, didn’t you? Why do you care so much about the romantic life between Ashe and Sonya?”

“That’s not very like you, Swordswoman,” the Witch said with a mischievous sparkle in her eye. “Could it be that you…”

“You’re doing the same by speaking well of Lise,” the Swordswoman said calmly. “Isn’t it natural to care about one’s past self?”

After a moment of eye contact, the Witch looked away: “Hmph, have it your way.”

“But Swordswoman, aren’t you being a bit… too arrogant?”

The Witch wrapped her legs around the Swordswoman’s, and with a swift motion, she broke free from the Swordswoman’s hold. In a fluid reversal of positions, she pinned the Swordswoman beneath her, grabbing her hands together and securing her wrists, while pressing down on her legs to immobilize her. Their black and red tresses mingled together.

“Swordswoman, you actually thought,” the Witch’s voice seemed to transform into an eighteen-part symphony, whispering in the Swordswoman’s ear: “that you have the ability to engage in close combat with us!?”

Swordswoman: “Let go.”

The Witch’s voice grew increasingly frenzied and hysterical: “You pressed us for so long, now we’ll press you for just as long!”

The expression on the Swordswoman’s face was impassive, but the longsword at her waist was slowly adjusting its angle, searching for the Witch’s weak spot. The Witch seemed to sense the Swordswoman’s movements, but she didn’t stop her. A dangerous curve traced the corner of her mouth, as if she was looking forward to a bloody fight with the Swordswoman—

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside, it seemed Ashe had walked into Lise’s room and been seen by others, plunging into an awkward social situation with no easy explanation.

The Witch listened for a moment, the madness on her face receding like the tide, then she said with a sudden smile: “To be honest, when you described… when you described Ashe’s personality traits, like everyone else, I didn’t believe it.”

“It’s like imagining a blushing Sonya, imagining an Ashe with conscience, humanity, solitude, and fear. It’s truly too much of a stretch for our imaginations. That he could even feel compassion for little Lise seemed utterly absurd…”

The Swordswoman said coldly: “But now you see.”

“Yes, I see,” the Witch said softly: “Aside from the wickedness suppressed deep within his heart, he does indeed present as a cheerful and sunny good person on the surface. Even without the Enchanting Maiden, he still has companions who follow him.”

“An Ashe Heath bathed in sunlight, that really makes me… so fond of him…”

“…that I can hardly wait to destroy him.”

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