Sorcerer’s Handbook

Deya suddenly felt a pain on her forehead and let out a whimper, pulling the blanket over her head.

But soon, her blanket was completely thrown off, as the scorching and blinding sunlight forced its way into her eyelids, dancing on her crystalline lens. Deya buried her face in the pillow to shield her eyes. Then, with a loud crack sound, she yelped, flipped over, and clutched her buttocks, glaring resentfully at Ashe.

“Time to get up.”

“Do you know how impolite it is to barge into a girl’s room, pull off her blanket, and smack her butt!?”

“But the problem is, this is also my room, my blanket, my…”

Ashe tilted his head and glanced sideways, “At least half of it is mine, right?”

“No way!” Deya threw the pillow at him, which Ashe caught and tossed back. “Get up, you’re always the one who sleeps in.”

“I only sleep in because I stay up with you. I could actually not sleep at all…” She mumbled, finished washing up, and stepped out of the room. Just then, she saw the White Queen dragging the Little Witch out of the neighboring room.

The White Queen’s face looked sour, while the Little Witch was still groggy with her eyes shut.

“She stayed up all night playing games.”

“Then just let her sleep.”

“No, if I let her sleep, she’ll just do it again next time.” The White Queen explained, “I’ll supervise her studies later and won’t let her sleep no matter how tired she gets, so she learns her lesson.”

Deya rubbed her own butt, “Why not just give her a spanking?”

“When I pulled off her blanket, she actually raised her butt for me to hit.” The White Queen’s mouth twitched, “Ashe has healed her so many times, she’s built up a resistance!”

The Little Witch mumbled, “Dad, save me…”

“Even if Ashe comes today, he’s studying with you!” The White Queen carried her downstairs, angry. Deya followed them and saw the Black Butler preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

Noticing her gaze, the Black Butler said, “Lala Fatty will take a bit longer. Why don’t you go soak with Ashe for a while?”

“Okay.”

Deya stepped out of the main house and saw the Scarlet Dead Apostles practicing in the yard. White steam and whip-like shockwaves occasionally formed in the air. A closer look revealed that the Water-born Thread was whipping through the air at supersonic speed, demonstrating a surprisingly fierce power for something originally soft and sharp.

Seeing Deya, the Scarlet Dead Apostles nodded in greeting, then continued to immerse themselves in the beauty of spellcasting. Deya walked to the back of the yard where a steaming hot spring pool awaited. Ashe was reclining in it, wearing swim trunks and resting his eyes.

“Don’t turn around,” Deya warned as she stripped off her clothes and used the Water-born Thread to weave herself a swimsuit-a skill she had easily mastered from other Sorcerer’s Handbooks. She tested the temperature with her toes, then stepped in with her calves, holding her thighs for balance as she gradually settled into the pool.

Unlike Ashe, who was half-reclined, Deya sat upright, her shoulders not submerged and her milky-white ovals remaining above the waterline.

Ashe sat up and noted the considerable distance between them, nearly spanning the entire diagonal of the small hot spring. “You’re sitting quite far away.”

“Who asked you to wake me up like that?” Deya huffed, staring at Ashe’s vaguely visible abs under the water. “You really do love morning baths. Even in seclusion, you had to find a place with a hot spring.”

“A bad habit I caught from Igor.”

Ashe gazed at the sky. “I wonder how they’re doing now.”

“They’ll definitely be fine.”

“Hard to say. We barely escaped Nabistin ourselves. They didn’t follow us then, and their only chance was to dive into the underground city.” Ashe sighed, “It’s a pity that I can’t even be considered a sorcerer now. Protecting myself is hard enough, let alone rescuing them.”

“As a price for rejecting Ashpel, it’s already quite a bargain,” Deya laughed. “As long as you don’t use spellforce or enter the Virtual Realm, no deity can find you, and we can settle down here.”

“The other spirits are manageable, but not having access to the Substitute is a bit troublesome,” Ashe complained. “I can use other spirits as long as I resonate with them, but it’s so lazy. Resonance isn’t enough-I have to coax it for ages before it agrees to budge… just like you.”

“I’m not lazy!” Deya smacked the water toward him, and Ashe retaliated without hesitation.

After a chaotic water spell battle, Ashe suddenly moved closer to her, causing Deya’s body to stiffen. She could hear the rhythmic splashing of water entering the hot spring, almost in sync with her quickened heartbeat.

“Even though I can still use spirits, I can barely fight now,” Ashe said. “Does that bother you?”

“Why would it bother me?”

“That I won’t be able to protect you anymore, and you’ll have to protect me instead,” Ashe said. “Even though the Gospel system has collapsed and it’s hard for others to find me, spellcasting sects using prophecy and fate might still track me down. There’s undoubtedly a multitude of people who want me back on the throne to reactivate the Gospel system, and I can’t even defend myself…”

“It doesn’t bother me,” Deya interrupted him. “In fact, I’ve been looking forward to it.”

“Looking forward to me becoming useless?” Ashe stepped back in horror.

“I mean, looking forward to protecting you!” Deya forcefully grabbed his hand and pulled him back. “Why would I mind? Back when Lise was just a walking disaster magnet, you didn’t care then, either.”

“Hey!” A disgruntled voice came from the main house, followed by a slap from the White Queen.

Ashe blinked and whispered, “Honestly, I did kind of mind at first, but… somehow, it stopped bothering me.”

“Because you started seeing us as family,” Deya said. “It’s the same for me.”

She suddenly had an idea. “In a few years, once things calm down outside, let’s find a small town to settle in. We can’t live in seclusion forever, and the Little Witch needs to grow up in a normal environment… If we each take on a sorcerer job, we should be well-received.”

“A sorcerer job?” Ashe blinked.

“You have healing abilities; you could be a healing sorcerer. And I want to try being a clothing designer. I feel I have some talent in that area,” Deya said. “A weaving sorcerer and a healing sorcerer. How about that? We could even get a pet, grow some flowers and plants, and go hiking with everyone nearby when we have free time.”

“That sounds so ordinary.”

“Compared to a firm, a princess, and the First Gospel, it certainly is, but isn’t that good?”

“Of course it is,” Ashe smiled. “That’s the peaceful life I’ve always longed for.”

“The Scarlet Dead Apostles love adventure; she would probably want to join Bluebeard in exploring the Abyss. The White Queen and the Black Butler don’t like going out or meeting others, so we can just take care of them. As for the Little Witch, we’ll find a suitable spellcasting sect for her in a few days…”

“It will definitely be a bit tough at first, but for the sake of the future, it’s all worth it.”

“The future…” Ashe murmured.

“Of course, it’s for the future,” Deya said with a smile. “Our lives are just beginning, and it will be many years before we can retire to the Virtual Realm.”

Ashe smiled back at her, while Deya seemed a bit confused. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, I just realized your life planning skills are better than mine,” Ashe scratched his head. “I didn’t expect you to take care of even our everyday life so well…”

“Hmph, I’ve read many Sorcerer’s Handbooks. These are just trivial advantages for me,” Deya said, hands on her hips. “Hurry and apologize for your earlier disrespect!”

“Alright, alright, Princess, please forgive my earlier affronts to your forehead, your blanket, and your…”

Deya’s eyes sparkled, and she pressed closer to him, full of expectation. “Say it again.”

Ashe hesitated for a moment. “Princess?”

“Yes!” Deya beamed and hugged him. “Say it again!”

“Princess, please don’t be mischievous,” Ashe said helplessly. “Aren’t you the one who dislikes that title?”

“I just don’t like being Yisuo’s princess,” Deya said with a giggle, climbing onto Ashe’s lap.

The hot spring pool hadn’t been treated with any non-slip materials. Ashe momentarily lost his balance and sank into the water along with Deya.

“Dinner’s ready.”

“Ugh… I have to watch Deya attack Dad every day…”

“Brush your teeth properly!”

Hearing her sisters’ voices made Deya feel a bit shy. She wanted to grab Ashe and float up, but found she was grasping at nothing.

She couldn’t float up.

She couldn’t sink, either.

She just stayed below the water’s surface, floating aimlessly, dazed and confused.

“Deya.”

The voice came from above the water, and Deya looked up.

Through the ripples created by raindrops, she saw a white-haired little girl crouching.

The rain continued, as it always had.

“Lise, my elder sister…”

“You still have time to change your mind. I can’t compete with you,” said the Sleeping Beauty. “But once you fall asleep, you’ll never wake up again, and neither will your sisters-just as you feared, the First Gospel won’t allow other noise to exist. Once I take over, your personalities will be erased completely, and even I can’t escape this fate, because my own personality was created to bear the Gospel.”

“Just now…”

“While I was asleep, I seemed to have learned some strange abilities,” she said. “So, I wrote you a fairy tale, a beautiful dream, a chance for you to confess your regrets…”

Deya: “…words I regret not saying out loud.”

Sleeping Beauty: “So, have you made up your mind?”

Deya suddenly asked, “Can I hide in your eyes?”

“No,” Sleeping Beauty shook her head. “Only one of us can be awake, so while I’m asleep, you can enter the Virtual Realm; when you’re awake, I must sleep. Once the drowsiness in my mind fades, you’ll fall into your final slumber.”

Deya felt a bit disappointed by the answer, yet somehow relieved. She smiled and said, “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Alright,” Sleeping Beauty stood up. “Goodbye, Deya.”

“Goodbye, Lise.”

As Lise Deya stood up, the river submerged the phantom in the water.

At the same time, everyone’s Gospel Book popped up again.

The name of the first place on the Gospel Ranking twisted, altered, and finally took shape.

“1st on the Gospel Ranking: Gosdeya”