Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 88: I, Sonya Therave, am a Good Person!

“I’ve seen with my own eyes a medic sneak onto the transport ship with the excuse ‘I want to go back and have a good meal,’ and they didn’t even have to take off their masks when boarding the ship. No one checked their identity throughout the whole process.”

“Although I don’t know why they have this kind of privilege, investigations show that a medic’s status should be above the prison guards.”

Lonna’s eyes wandered as she asked, “You want to deal with the medics?”

“I just want to borrow their clothes,” Igor said plainly, “The specific process is – we meet in the bathroom, Ashe purifies the chips on our napes, then within the next 10 minutes we each rush to the infirmary, subdue the medics with spirit beasts and take their clothes. Finally we sneak onto the departing transport ship before the prison alarm goes off. Of course, we can’t harm the medics’ lives, their deaths would set off the prison alarm and attract the guards’ attention.”

“Does everyone understand? It’s a very simple plan. The only part that needs practice is how to get from the infirmary to the port within a few minutes. Practice this over the next couple days.”

Ashe asked, “What if the prison discovers the injured medics and notifies the transport to stop and check us?”

“That’s when the ‘Gourmand’ and ‘Woodpecker’s Golden Beak’ come into play,” Igor said lightly. “With intention or not, can you two handle the blood mad hunters on the transport ship?”

Lonna looked at Ronald, who took a deep breath and nodded heavily, “We can!”

“I will protect Ronald,” Lonna said.

“Then when does the transport ship arrive?”

“The transport comes to the prison on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month.” Igor wrote a ‘2’ on the mirror. “Today is the 19th, so Ashe, you must master the purification miracle within two days, and cast it under restraints. Any issues?”

Ashe was silent for a moment, then nodded, “No issues.”

“Then…dismissed. I hope everyone mentally prepares over the next couple days, simulates the routes, eats and drinks well, and leaves no regrets.”

Lonna and Ronald left first. As Igor was also leaving the bathroom, Ashe suddenly asked, “The premise of your plan is that the chip changes signal frequency when entering special circumstances. But what if the chip keeps sending life signals at a fixed frequency even in special circumstances? Wouldn’t the plan be doomed to fail? The prison processor might detect an anomaly the instant we disable the chips.”

Igor looked back at him, “Yes, that is the worst possibility.”

“Then what do we do if the worst possibility happens?”

“What to do? You’re asking me?”

Igor seemed angry, he rushed over in one step and grabbed Ashe’s collar, staring straight into his eyes.

“What are you expecting? That I design a perfect, flawless plan for you? That if you’re not satisfied you can throw it back for me to modify? Do you want to propose some interesting requirements, like escaping Shattered Lake Prison over a rainbow?”

He probably wanted to lift Ashe up or shove him against the wall, but the bathroom only enabled excretion permissions, not attack permissions, so Igor could only grab his collar.

Ashe did not shrink back: “If saying this makes you feel a little better…I’m very sorry for using you.”

“But I feel fortunate in my heart, that the one I used is you. If it were someone else, they definitely couldn’t have come up with a plan with such high feasibility.”

“You think saying some sweet words is useful?” Igor let out a cold laugh, but suddenly his angry look vanished. He straightened Ashe’s collar leisurely and said, “But if you really want to make more preparations, increase the fault tolerance of the escape plan, there are ways.”

“What ways?”

“Pray to your Four Pillars, my dear cult leader.”

Igor left him with a scornful look and turned to leave.

Cailleach, Swordflower College.

“Professor Lichtblume, I think Iris is the better choice. She’s hosted various events before, so I’m sure she’d be very willing to take on the MC job for the social…”

The young professor holding a textbook stopped and looked at the pesky female student helplessly, “Miss Therave, the MC list for the joint social between our schools was reviewed by six people in charge, and approved by the dean before being finalized. This isn’t a small event for a department or college, where you can freely switch out people as you like…”

Sonya was anxious immediately, “Professor, I absolutely don’t mean that. I’m not close with Iris at all, I’m definitely not trying to take care of her by giving her this opportunity! Or I don’t have to give it to her either, any second or third year senior can replace me!”

Professor Lichtblume sighed, “Miss Therave, do you still remember our school motto?”

“‘Keeping promises is the most beautiful rose on the sword hilt, protecting is the sharpest blade under the rose,'” Sonya said helplessly.

“Keeping promises and protecting – those are the school’s greatest expectations of you all. If you want to resign from the MC position, you must provide an appropriate reason, otherwise your terrible performance in such an important matter will greatly impact the school’s evaluation of you.”

Professor Lichtblume said seriously, “Moreover, you’re Professor Trotzam’s research apprentice. To show fairness, the school may even give you a warning!”

As Professor Trotzam’s apprentice, Sonya naturally enjoyed various benefits in private, like professors turning a blind eye to her assignments.

But in public, Sonya’s every move had to undergo the most rigorous scrutiny, because she was now the best student at Swordflower College, she represented the school’s reputation and could not have the slightest flaw, much less affect the school’s reputation!

Sonya didn’t want a warning either. The school’s first step in punishing students was a warning, the second was suspension, and the third was direct expulsion.

In other words, after this warning, Sonya would be just one step away from being sent back home to farm!

“I have some special reasons for being unsuitable as the MC…”

“What reasons?”

Sonya opened her mouth, her lips quivered, and she mouthed ‘ah-buh-ah-buh’ for a long time but couldn’t get a word out. Professor Lichtblume raised his eyebrows, “Miss Therave? Your reason is?”

“I…” Sonya spoke with great difficulty, as if her throat was on fire: “I…”

“Are you unwell? Is there a family matter? Too busy with schoolwork? Reached a critical point in sword training?” Professor Lichtblume thought it looked miserable, so he actively came up with many excuses for Sonya to find one to gloss things over.

“It’s just…I…can’t lie.”

Professor Lichtblume blinked.

“Very good quality, Miss Therave, I hope you can persist. So do you have a proper reason to resign from the MC position?”

The corner of Sonya’s mouth twitched, and she gritted her teeth fiercely after a long pause: “No!”

“Have a nice evening.”

Watching Professor Lichtblume leave, Sonya stomped her feet in frustration, unable to do anything. She struggled a bit more, but her feet walked towards the training hall – it was time to train.

The moment Sonya entered the training hall, she attracted everyone’s attention. But unlike the usual admiring gazes, this time the gazes contained something indescribable – admiration? Mockery? Gloating?

“Professor Westree was so angry he didn’t even teach class…”

“Serves that upstart right…”

“Not even Felix is as arrogant as her, how impressive is this genius!”

“Sigh, geniuses have the guts to be domineering and disregard interpersonal relationships…”

The more Sonya listened, the more grieved she felt. Her, who was meticulous, tactful, and discreet – she actually had a day where others saw her as an inconsiderate, arrogant genius who disregarded relationships!

She had even fallen to being mentioned in the same breath as Felix!

At this time, Felix also came to train. As he passed Sonya, he coughed twice and jokingly said, “Senior Sister Sonya, Professor Trotzam listened to your opinion and went to the stylist to change his hairstyle…”

Many of the sword trainees gasped – everyone in school knew Professor Trotzam maintained a very outdated mushroom hairstyle, but no one dared criticize Trotzam’s aesthetics, not even ‘Rhythm Swordsaint’ Nidhogg, who didn’t get along well with Trotzam.

Just how vicious were Sonya’s words that even Trotzam had to abandon his hairstyle that he’d kept for a full decade?

As expected of Sonya, easily accomplishing what others couldn’t!

At this time, Ingritt also came to train. When she saw Sonya, she jogged over and pumped her fists in encouragement, “Sonya, keep at it, you did the right thing. We swordswomen should be so stubborn and unbending, our inner and outer selves unified, we don’t need everyone to like us. You must persist!”

I don’t want to be stubborn or unbending! I don’t want my inner and outer selves to be unified!

I also want to lie, care about relationships, have everyone like me, accomplish things easily with help coming from all directions, instead of being seen as socially inept by everyone like now!

The more Sonya listened, the more grieved she felt. She channeled all her energy into beating the armor stands, every sword piercing 10 rings deep into the stand. For some reason, the more she hacked the more exhilarated she felt. The more she swung her sword the more she felt strength fill her body. Training didn’t tire her at all, she could even feel a trace of joy, her stamina endlessly surging forth!

Ding! With a clear ringing, a single-wing spirit beast emerged on her sword tip – it was the single-wing spirit beast ‘Slash Sword’!

Sonya was a bit stunned. She didn’t understand why her training efficiency today was so high, the process so refreshing, that she even smoothly summoned a single-wing spirit beast. Of course she didn’t know that was the effect of the high-level stamina drug. She could only find reasons from her performance today.

Today, she didn’t wear a fake mask. She detested when appropriate, liked when appropriate.

Today, she didn’t lie, didn’t cover up to avoid punishment, didn’t gloss over to maintain relationships.

Today, she didn’t force herself. She directly criticized Professor Trotzam’s hideous hairstyle, and decisively rejected Adele when she asked to borrow clothes.

Then her training efficiency greatly improved, the process easy and pleasant.

Taking all these factors into account, an alarming speculation naturally arose in Sonya’s mind.

Could it be that she, Sonya Therave…

Was a thoroughly upright, good person at heart!?