"Hah."
Sonya let out a sharp breath, lowering her weary hands as she waited for the training dummy, pierced through with a large hole, to reset. The other swordsmanship apprentices in the hall watched the Scarlet Swordswoman curiously. It was their first ti seeing her train in the afternoon, but at the thought of the evening's social gathering, their respect for her only deepened. Training before an event? Just as expected from the Scarlet Swordswoman!
Adele rushed forward and called out, "Sonya! Louisa and the others are waiting. Aren't you leaving?"
Sonya held her wooden sword horizontally, assuming a thrusting stance. "Just a few more minutes. Wait for ."
Adele fidgeted anxiously, eventually squatting down to rub her calves. She'd run all the way from the dormitory, and even that short distance had left her breathless.
She watched Sonya repeat thrust after thrust. Today, the Scarlet Swordswoman had tied her hair into a bun to keep it out of the way as she trained. The style revealed the graceful line of her neck. Sweat trickled down her forehead, rolled across her nose, dripped along her neck, and soaked into her dark training vest. With every thrust, the vest swung heavily. Weights were strapped to her hands, legs, and torso, yet she moved with relentless precision.
Resting her chin on her hands, Adele murmured, "You look exhausted. Do you even enjoy training?"
"Not a chance," Sonya exhaled sharply between movents, a smirk tugging at her lips. "It's not just . Angelica doesn't enjoy it either. There's nothing human about endlessly repeating the sa exercises. If training were fun, this hall would be packed every day."
Adele blinked, surprised. "Really? Everyone says you love swordsmanship, and that's why you train every day. Isn't that what the stories always say? That talented students find joy in their training, while the untalented only know frustration..."
"That may be true for so," Sonya said。
She lunged fiercely and pierced the dummy again. Aside from leaving a few slash marks, the armor remained intact. "But I'm not one of them. Sword training is... incredibly boring to . If I weren't forced, I'd never practice in a million years."
Curious, Adele pressed, "Who's forcing you?"
Sonya didn't answer. Instead, she struck the dummy again, this ti harder, as if it held a grudge against her.
Adele tried again. "Even if you don't want to train, it seems like you genuinely enjoy swordsmanship."
Sonya's eyes were cold and clear. "I don't. I only like what it gets : honor, fa, attention, and opportunity. I crave the spotlight, the admiration, and the chance to be noble and stay in Cailleach. I don't love swordsmanship itself, but if it can give what I want, I'll pretend that I do. By your standards, Adele, I'm no prodigy, but if everyone expects to be one, I'll play the part convincingly."
Sonya lowered her wooden sword and grabbed a towel to wipe her brow. "Hah."
Adele uncapped her water bottle, took a generous sip, and offered it to Sonya.
"You're lying, aren't you?" Adele asked.
Sonya paused, startled, and looked at the cheerful, naive girl before her.
Adele folded her arms. "I may not like reading or exercising, but I'm not dumb. I can tell when soone genuinely enjoys sothing. You sneak off every night with your sword bag, spar with Felix, and even challenge Senior Leona... I've never seen reluctance, only anticipation. You love this life where you push yourself, improve, and grow stronger.
She glanced at the weights strapped to Sonya. "If you didn't enjoy it, you wouldn't have made it harder for yourself. That's just like when I search for plot analyses and fan works on Curtain after finishing a show. The passion drives the desire."
"And I only just noticed when I watched you train up close. You're stunning when you hold your sword. The sweat that drips and the movents that flow perfectly... that make you only slightly behind ," she teased.
Adele went on. "In any case, I'm sure I'm at least right about the stunning part. So, Sonya, you must be a sword prodigy."
Sonya blinked, confused. "Because I look good holding a sword, that makes a swordswoman?"
"What else?" Adele countered. "Beauty is reason enough to exist. Would you waste the favor of the stars?"
"True," Sonya nodded, unable to refute her. "Does that co from a famous quote?"
"From How Miserable I Am For Letting You Take My Heart, Episode 17."
"A drama... I don't watch anything without Didaros in it," Sonya said.
"Then you've missed out on classics," Adele replied matter-of-factly. "It's because I've seen so much joy and sorrow that I can see through the vanity of words and the deceit in glances."
"Do even the joys and sorrows in dramas count?"
"Take you, Sonya, for example. You clearly love swordsmanship, yet you insist on making excuses, weaving all these stories to claim you practice purely for personal gain. It's as if admitting you actually enjoy it would sohow make you lose in so competition."
Sonya paused, caught off guard.
Adele grabbed the water bottle from Sonya's hands and took a long sip, feeling parched from all the talking. "And the sa goes for your music and performance classes. You said you want to beco a singer or performing artist because it pays well. That makes sense on the surface, but why specifically those careers, when there are so many other ways to make money?"
Adele sighed, "You always co up with these complex reasons for yourself, when the truth is, most things co down to very simple motives.
"I've watched so many dramas, and the biggest lesson I've learned is that even the most perfect plans can be overturned by soone's sudden impulse. This world is full of people acting on whims for no reason."
Sonya frowned. "Have you considered that maybe the writer was just lazy and went over the top?"
Adele pointed to her vibrating bracelet. "Fair point. Done resting? Let's go. Look. Louisa is already rushing us."
The two hurried back to the dormitory, where a group of girls was crowded together, chattering noisily. Tables were strewn with clothes and accessories.
Seeing Sonya still sweating, Louisa pinched her nose. "Go shower imdiately! Seriously, you told us to prepare your battle outfit, then went off to train by yourself... Do you think being a Rose ans everyone will orbit around you? And you're not even officially the Rose yet!"
"Sorry," Sonya replied.
Louisa waved her hand. "Now go shower. You stink. I'll let you use my shampoo and body wash this ti, or else you'd probably knock out with the sll later."
Once Sonya entered the bathroom, Louisa tapped her bracelet. "Has Senior Boris arrived yet? Anyone who can fill in for her?"
"There are hardly any female Wind Class students, and you specifically need soone skilled in perfu sorcery. Most of our Wind Class students focus on teorology. Boris only studies perfu sorcery because she acquired the Fragrant Wind spirit from the Virtual World by chance. True perfu sorcerers are already bound to the few elite perfu houses. Unless you beco an intern, you can't access the formulas they've spent centuries refining."
Adele said, "I don't think it's such a big deal not having Boris. Besides, no one really notices Sonya's scent during battle—"
Louisa interrupted, "Don't forget the sense-enhancing spirits. There mustn't be even a single flaw in a perfect performance... Oh!"
She rummaged through her locker and pulled out a glass bottle inlaid with star diamonds.
Adele's eyes widened. "Isn't that Tears of the teor? Louisa, you've been keeping sothing this amazing to yourself?!"
"If I shared it, you'd use it all too quickly," Louisa said, conflicted.
Other girls crowded around, begging to reserve a turn with the perfu.
Angelica frowned. "Is that perfu really that expensive?"
Adele shook her head. "It's not about the money. It's a limited edition that no one can buy. A perfu sorcerer specially crafted it, and it contains the sorcerer's Miracle. Regular perfus leave lingering scents, sure, but they carry only a tiny fraction of that power. Tears of the teor is on a whole other level."
"So it slls stronger?"
Adele's eyes sparkled. "No. The point of a perfu isn't the scent, it's the charm. It's said that a woman who wears it can captivate everyone nearby with an almost invisible fragrance, triggering pleasure and attraction. If I wore this at the school gala, I'd outshine all the stars."
Louisa added, "Making this Miracle-infused perfu consus huge amounts of mana, so it's never sold comrcially and only given as gifts. My family must have so serious connections..."
Just then, Sonya erged from the shower.
Louisa said, "Alright, we've got ninety-five minutes left until six o'clock. In that ti, we'll transform Sonya into a work of art!"
Before she could react, the girls pulled her forward and lifted her arms. They quickly stripped off her clothes, including her undergarnts, and dressed her in a new set of clothes, starting with her underwear, blouse, leggings, breeches, jacket, gloves, boots, ornants, and finishing with her ceremonial skirt.
Sonya froze, stunned. "Louisa, I only asked you to find a proper battle outfit. Does it really need this much fuss?"
Louisa snapped, "Do you think a real battle outfit is just a sleep dress you can slip into? If you wanted to wear it, you should've told days ago. Telling this afternoon leaves only a few hours! It's a rush assignnt.
"The dazzling battle outfits you see on holoscreens take several people to put on and even require spirit tailoring. I had to call in favors to get these seniors here. You'd better thank them properly."
"No need," one senior said with a smile. "It's an honor to serve our new Rose. If anyone should be thanked, it's you, Louisa. Please, I have a very important appointnt next week. Let wear Tears of the teor."
"I'm eting my fiancé soon!"
"I have a major gala to attend!"
Sonya smiled. "Thank you all for your generosity. Louisa, I didn't an to trouble you, but I only found out this morning that I'd be leading the gala battle. I wouldn't have known without asking the professors..."
"Professor Trosan is impossible sotis..." Louisa muttered, dragging Sonya to a chair. "Do you think you can avoid ssing up your face? Blood mixed with makeup looks terrible... or should we just fix your brows?"
Sonya summoned a spirit. "I have the Fixed Day spirit. Help create the makeup best suited for the spotlight."
Louisa's expression softened slightly. "You even brought the Fixed Day spirit... at least you're prepared."
She tied Sonya's red hair back with a headband and examined her eyes closely. "Your eyes seem a bit dry... Adele, pass my eye wash."
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