The Sorcerer's Handbook

Sonya leaned against Ashe's shoulder, not daring to lift her head. What am I even doing?

The village girl felt as though a demon had taken control of her body. Her mind had gone completely hazy, and by the time she snapped back to her senses, she was already leaning against the Watcher's shoulder.

This definitely isn't what I intended! It has to be because I haven't entered the Virtual World in so long, so my soul must be a little out of it. Or maybe the Celestial Chariot Ox's thundering footsteps were just too loud. Or perhaps the golden light of the Ascending Golden Rain was simply too dazzling!

What should I do? What should I do? What should I do... Hey, Fish-Slaying Dragon, please show up and save me! I swear I'll send you off in the grandest way possible with my absolute best Blood Blossom Watermoon! I'll let you die a glorious, heroic death!

She could have managed if the Watcher were the only one around. The real problem was... the Witch was sitting right behind them!

They had only just appeared in the back seat together before Sonya deliberately climbed into the front just to hug... cling to... or rather, lean against the Watcher and rest. She didn't even dare to imagine the expression on the Witch's face right now. Their behavior back in the Amnesia Cabin had already been compromising enough to cause major misunderstandings. Before Sonya even had the chance to clear the air, she had now completely stripped herself of any opportunity to explain.

Her face felt like it was on fire. The sheer embarrassment made her want to crawl into a hole.

The more she panicked, the more she began to blame the man beside her.

Sonya gently nudged her head against his shoulder. Hey, little trumpet, can't you tell I need help right now? Yes, there's no verbal communication, no expression, no body language, and zero eye contact between us, but can't you at least sense a fraction of my inner turmoil?! Can't you just play dumb and break this unbearable atmosphere already?! I need to remind him...

There was no reaction. Hence, she tried again. And again. And again...

Ashe watched as Sonya repeatedly rubbed her head against his shoulder. He felt like his coat was about to wear out from the friction. Still, the scene felt strangely familiar. Lys would occasionally cling to him like this when she wanted a hug, acting just like a koala.

Ah, so that's what she wants...

Ashe blinked, then reached out and gave Sonya a light hug.

However, the moment his hand touched her waist, Sonya jolted as though she had been electrocuted. She snapped her head up and glared at him. Her face flushed a deep crimson, her lips were pressed into a tight line, and her watery eyes flashed fiercely, practically screaming, How dare you be this bold?!

Ashe immediately raised both hands in surrender. The village girl let out a soft snort, then quickly scrambled away to sit as far from him as possible, treating him like a rag thrown aside after use.

She nervously glanced back, only to realize the Witch had already curled up on the rear seat. She lay facing the cushions as she slept, as if she hadn't seen a single thing.

Witch, you are so considerate!

Sonya knew she was lying to herself, but she still let out a massive sigh of relief. Regaining a shred of her confidence, she called out, "Witch, wake up. Stop sleeping!"

Dia rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Hm? Are you two done already?"

Bang!

Sonya felt as if a burst of hot steam had just shot straight out of her head. The composure she had barely managed to piece together collapsed instantly under the Witch's casual question.

Ashe, however, remained entirely unbothered. "Well, it's only natural to want someone to lean on when you're under pressure. Witch, do you want to act spoiled, too? We have both a male mom and a female mom available."

"I'm not acting spoiled..." Sonya mumbled, lowering her head as her voice dwindled to the buzz of a mosquito.

"No, no," Dia said, waving her hand dismissively. "I already have someone I can act spoiled with."

Despite wasting quite a bit of time, this brief, chaotic episode allowed the three of them to instantly fall back into sync after nearly ten days apart.

The sports car roared to life, speeding across the Continent of Time.

With so much information to exchange, they hardly knew where to begin.

"According to the Virtual World Map, we'll only reach the Spider Tower region tomorrow," Ashe said. "We can still explore normally tonight, so there's no need to worry about the Hero Commander suddenly charging out with an army."

"Good thing you gave us those potions. Otherwise, there's no way our souls would have recovered in time," Sonya said, leaning back into her seat. The flush on her face hadn't faded yet, but through sheer mental composure, she managed to force herself back into the conversation. "By the way, did you trigger the Concept Secret Poison?"

"After yours activated, I checked my details and saw that mine had triggered too."

"What's the Concept Secret Poison?" Dia asked.

Ashe and Sonya exchanged a glance. Ashe then shook his head at Dia. "The Concept Secret Poison only has side effects for now. It's better if you don't know."

Secret poisons generally had two types of value. The first was the intelligence they provided, which could be extremely valuable. The second was the beneficial buffs they granted. Some were well worth sharing. For example, the Whirlpool Secret Poison belonged to the first category, while the Golden Fish and Bronze Dragon Secret Poisons belonged to the second.

However, most secret poisons were just a nuisance. The Concept Secret Poison and Exile Secret Poison fell squarely into this category.

Sure, the Concept Secret Poison revealed the mysteries behind conceptual incarnations, but what use was that to Ashe and the others? Would it give them a twenty percent discount on groceries? Even if the side effects were tolerable, there was no reason to burden themselves with a chronic affliction for nothing.

Dia looked at them suspiciously. "You're not excluding me, are you?"

This was exactly what Sonya had feared most. If all of them were infected, it would be fine. If she were the only one infected, that would also be fine. But if only two of them were infected, things would get troublesome.

A combination like [Swordswoman + Witch] would be manageable since the Watcher would trust their judgment. But [Swordswoman + Watcher] would never work. The Witch would have every reason to suspect the two of them were conspiring.

Ashe shot Sonya a reproachful look. It's not even a good secret poison. Why bring it up? Wouldn't it have been better to keep it to yourself? Why dig it up and share it with everyone like this?

Now, things had taken a turn for the worse. The Witch suspected that whatever they were hiding wasn't worthless garbage, but something highly tempting. Ashe was on the fence. Should they just dump the blame on her, or drag her into the pit with them?

However, Sonya had her reasons. "Where I live, an event called the Falling Stars incident occurred. It happened right after the Empress snatched away the Incarnation of Stars. I suspect she crushed it right away, causing all related spirits to be annihilated... I thought that after seeing the falling stars, you would all be infected with the Concept Secret Poison, too."

"The Falling Stars incident?

Sonya went on to briefly describe how the stars had nearly smashed through the sky that day. In response, Ashe and Dia exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison. "We didn't encounter anything like that."

"Wait..." Dia fell into deep thought. "Incarnation of Stars, falling stars, all related spirits annihilated... could it be..."

Ashe suddenly slammed on the brakes. The sports car spun across the grass, leaving sharp, donut-shaped skid marks. Dia was thrown sideways by the sheer inertia. Before she could even steady herself, Sonya lunged forward, grabbed her by the shoulders, and began shaking her like a bottle of orange juice with pulp!

"H-hey! What are you doing?!"

Ashe demanded, "What about the stars?"

Dizzy from the violent shaking, Dia stammered, "D-didn't they fall?"

Ashe revved the engine, spinning the car in tight, dizzying circles. "Not enough. Swordswoman, keep shaking!"

"Got it!"

The continuous spinning and rattling made Dia violently nauseous. "Ah—la la la la la... ugh!"

Fortunately, this was the Virtual World. Aside from secrets, she couldn't actually throw anything up.

The Witch finally raised her head, only to see the Watcher and the Swordswoman staring down at her with terrifyingly "warm" concern. She quickly threw her hands up, covering her face in utter surrender. "I forgot! I forgot! I really forgot! I don't know anything about the stars, and I definitely didn't see you hugging the Watcher just now! I saw nothing, I know nothing, please let me go!"

Sonya clenched her fists, cracking her knuckles loudly. "( *￣︿￣) ...It seems she still has a bit of that memory left after all."