Mage Manual-Chapter 229 - 198 Sword Maiden You Dare to Engage Us in

Chapter 229: Chapter 198: Sword Maiden, You Dare to Engage Us in Close Combat?

Chapter 229: Chapter 198: Sword Maiden, You Dare to Engage Us in Close Combat?

“Who cares about your affection!”

The witch burst out laughing, “Really, you think you’re picking a bride or something? Choosy as you are, it’s just shameless!”

“But you’re the one who brought up the topic…” Ash muttered, looking down at Liss, who was still unconscious: “You heard her talking to me just now, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” The witch nodded, then crossed her legs and sat on the bed: “She’s a child that’s both pitiful and terrifying.”

“Pitiful and terrifying, huh?”

“You could tell too, couldn’t you?” the witch said calmly: “Her schemes are real, her amnesia is real, but her innocence is real too. She deliberately plays the part of being scheming yet obvious to adults, which is probably also a survival strategy, right? Compared to intuitively sharp kids or those who are not smart enough, a kid with her kind of street smarts who can be easily manipulated is more likely to be favored by adults.”

Ash recalled Liss’s performance in the underground hall, where both Igula and Harvey had seen through the little girl’s guile. Could Hanna not see it?

It was precisely because Hanna had seen through it that she had decided to keep Liss.

A child who was either too whiny or too smart might have been handed over to Red Hat by Hanna, because Purple Moth needed a ‘bug’ that could immediately be part of her grand scheme yet was easy to control.

Liss had vaguely sensed this, so she displayed such a character, deliberately catering to Hanna’s needs.

This girl might be very good at working.

But… why, at such a young age, does she know when to wear what mask, just like Ash who has been kicked around by society for many years?

“Memory modification?” Ash said softly: “Did someone warp her memory, tinkering her into a bug specifically to exploit loopholes in the Weaving Festival?”

“If you want to deceive the Divine Lord, mere memory modifications are probably not enough.” The witch squinted: “What? You feel sorry for her? Want to heed her incitement, conspire with your colleagues, rebel against your boss, and then hand the fruits over to this little girl?”

Suddenly, Ash looked at the witch: “You’re just like her.”

The witch’s heart skipped a beat, quickly thinking if she had revealed any flaws, but her face remained unchanged: “Just as cute?”

“You think just like her, that as long as I’m willing, if I want to go for it, I could tear up the Contract, obtain the highest Hidden Points, claim the final victory.” Ash laughed: “We just met today, yet both of you have surprising confidence in me. Do I have that ‘if I wish to do it, I can definitely do it’ kind of dazzling image?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” The witch snorted: “She’s only relying on you because she has to, so she has to trust you too.”

“Actually, I don’t dislike goal-oriented people.” Ash shrugged: “Having a goal makes it a journey. I’m just wandering.”

“My foresight isn’t that far-reaching. I can stand on my toes and see what’s for lunch tomorrow. Deciding whether to go rogue, collude, or betray in 101 days is too complicated. How could I have made that decision 101 days ago? How do you decide where to have lunch 101 days in advance?”

“And I’ve just arrived in this new kingdom, unfamiliar with its cities, culture, history, institutions, and I don’t understand the true power of the Gospel Book, let alone the strength of the All-knowing Weaver… Although I was forced into a very passionate and ambitious evil organization, right now I’m quite unmotivated.”

“Only after witnessing enough landscapes will I know whether I prefer dusk or dawn.”

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“It sounds pretty sophisticated,” the witch swayed: “Is there a simpler way to put it?”

“Go with the flow, play it by ear.” Ash winked: “Perhaps I’ll have a new idea by then.”

“As for her…” Ash glanced at Liss, who had collapsed to the ground: “Although I don’t know why she insists on relying on me, if it isn’t too harmful to my interests… or if it only does a little harm… After all, she’s technically the only member of my work team right now, so I might as well look after her a bit.”

The truth was Ash had gone soft.

After all, he wasn’t purely rational. Seeing Liss chasing after him and calling him ‘Daddy,’ he couldn’t help but think of his nephew back home.

Though the nephew wasn’t as cute as Liss, he was more of a brat and mischievous! Thinking of this, Ash regretted not spanking his nephew more when he had the chance, missing the opportunity now.

Anyway, Liss was already tied to him, so he would see what plans she had before making any decisions. But to expect Ash to be decisive and ruthless towards a human cub who could knock herself out by running into a door was simply impossible at this stage.

The witch retorted: “You make it sound so noble, but you’re just passing the buck to your future self.”

“That’s not it. I am me, and the future Ash is the future Ash.” Ash picked up Liss: “I never lightly promise myself, nor do I randomly impose restraints on the future Ash. All premature decisions turn into either mistaken rubbish or meaningless persistence. Only the choices made after careful consideration truly set the heart racing.”

“I don’t want to deprive myself of the pleasant contemplation time in the next 101 days.”

Ah.

That’s the flavor, that’s the feeling.

Not madness, not indifference, but a deeper level of superiority, as if the whole world was just a poor play and you wait for Fate to please you in arrogance.

It was precisely because of this that she was so—

fond of the Observer.

The Witch squinted her eyes, looking at Ash who held the white-haired little girl in his arms, “Ah, am I interrupting your colorful nightlife? I’ll leave right now—”

Ash quickly stopped her false accusations, “No, no, no, I’m just taking her back to her room so she doesn’t drool on the floor. You can follow me to make sure that I don’t do anything that wouldn’t be aired on a children’s channel.”

“Not interested, I’m really leaving,” the Witch said with a lack of enthusiasm, “Remember the three principles of exchange; from now on, we shall meet only in the Void Realm.”

Ash didn’t insist and left the room with Liss.

The Witch didn’t leave immediately, instead sitting cross-legged on the bed, lost in thought.

Until a question laced with anger came from behind her:

“Witch, you’ve overstepped your bounds.”

The Witch didn’t deny it, instead challenging in return, “But aren’t you curious about the Observer’s current views on the current Sword Maiden? It’s none of my business, but when I hear that in his heart the Sword Maiden has a unique status, I get a little inexplicably angry—especially since I’m so much prettier than you!”

Slap!

The Witch was forcefully pushed onto the bed, with the Sword Maiden sitting atop her, pinning her slender waist and rendering her unable to rise, her hands wrapped tightly around her wrists, immobilizing her. Confronted with the Sword Maiden’s fierce glare, the Witch became slightly intimidated, “What’s the matter? If you keep this up, I’m going to start screaming for help.”

The Sword Maiden didn’t join in her nonsense, articulating slowly, “First, he is not the Observer, but Ash Heath; she is not the Sword Maiden, but Sonia Sevi. Second, you really did overstep your bounds.”

“To observe and even to drive the transformation of their emotions is a forbidden act of remembrance. If I tell everyone, you can forget about having the right to observe ever again.”

“Boohoo…” The Witch whimpered pitifully, “I actually didn’t say much…”

“Why did you mention the Sword Maiden in front of him?” the Sword Maiden demanded, “You could cause a mismatch in information!”

“But I really don’t know that somewhat scheming but cute, insincere yet kindhearted, often vain in front of the mirror Sword Maiden.” The Witch blinked playfully, “I don’t really like to lie, you know.”

With a chilly tone, the Sword Maiden said, “Of all the lies you’ve told, that must be the crudest.”

Suddenly, the Witch changed tack, “But why are you so nervous? If the Observer caught me, I’d accept it since he’s the one in charge, but didn’t you join this plan out of desperation? Why do you care so much about the relationship between Ash and Sonia?”

“That’s not like the you I know, Sword Maiden,” the Witch’s eyes shone with mischief, “Could it be that you…”

“You’re also saying good things for Liss,” the Sword Maiden responded calmly, “Isn’t it natural to care about one’s former self?”

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

“But Sword Maiden, aren’t you being a little… too arrogant?”

The Witch entwined her legs with the Sword Maiden’s, quickly freeing her hands from the Sword Maiden’s grip, flipped over on top, and in an instant had the Sword Maiden pinned beneath her, her hands caught together, and her legs firmly restrained, unable to move, with long black and short drunken-red hair intertwined.

“Sword Maiden, did you actually think,” the Witch’s voice seemed to turn into an octet, whispering in the ear of the Sword Maiden, “that you could engage us in close combat!?”

“Sword Maiden: “Let go.”

The Witch’s voice grew increasingly manic and hysterical, “However long you pressed down on us, we’ll press down on you!”

Expressionless, the Sword Maiden’s long sword at her waist began to adjust its angle, seeking the Witch’s vulnerable spot. The Witch seemed to sense the Sword Maiden’s movements but did nothing to stop it, a dangerous smile crossing her lips, as if eagerly anticipating a bloody fight with the Sword Maiden—

Suddenly, the sound of an argument erupted from outside, seemingly Ash’s entry into Liss’s room had been witnessed by others, triggering a mortifyingly awkward scene that was impossible to explain.

The Witch listened for a while, the madness on her face receding like the tide, suddenly laughing, “To be honest, I, like everyone else, didn’t believe you when you described… when you described Ash’s personality traits.”

“It’s like trying to imagine a blushing Sonia, or an Ash Heath with a conscience and humanity, capable of loneliness and fear—that’s indeed too much for our imaginations. Even that he could feel compassion for little Liss, it’s utterly absurd…”

Sword Maiden coldly retorted, “But now you’ve seen it.”

“Yes, I’ve seen it,” the Witch replied softly, “Apart from the evil nature suppressed deep within him, he indeed appears to be a cheerful and decent person on the surface. Even without the bewitching girl, he still has companions who follow him.”

“An Ash Heath bathed in sunshine is something that I find… so likeable that…”

“…I can hardly wait to destroy him.”